All For the Money, Honey
by Haihai-BAKAdesu
Summary: Ichigo wins a super jackpot and because of the trouble it's stirring, he needs a bodyguard. Grimmjow wants the job – and Ichigo too. But what is he really after? Ichigo or the money? Grimm x Ichi AU -Boy love alert!-
1. At All Costs

**All for the Money, Honey [Chapter 1: At All Costs]**

**Pairing: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques x Ichigo Kurosaki**

**Rating: M (Not right now, but it'll get there...)**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (damnit)**

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"It's 299,792,488 metres per second." Ichigo Kurosaki blurted out at the television. He always managed to answer within only a few seconds of the questions being said.

Karin frowned in disbelief yet again. Since when did her older brother know the speed of light? She thought hard about what class he might've learnt it from.

On the television, the man behind the booth paused for a moment but then answered, "... I think its 299,792,488 metres per second?"

"CORRECT!" The short, black-haired show hostess squealed, pointing at the contestant. "You're our winner for tonight, Sowaki-san!" She danced around as multicoloured confetti fell down from the ceiling. The contestant was happily pulled out from his booth to collect his cash prize.

"Hmph, I can't believe you got it right again, Ichi-nii!" Karin sulked and slumped into her chair. He would always get an answer in before she did. She knew she had no chance against him, but she was always up for the challenge.

Ichigo leaned back onto the couch, smirking despite himself. He looked around at his father and his younger sisters, Karin and Yuzu watching the TV intently. Every Friday at 4:00 o'clock, the Kurosaki household sat in front of the TV to watch the newest television craze, the 'Super Lucky Trivia Show'. All his friends raved about it, (especially Keigo) and once he finally sat down to watch it, Ichigo actually enjoyed it. Since he studied a lot more than most people did, he became very excellent at retaining information and could easily answer the majority of the questions, no matter how bizarre.

"You're so smart, Ichi-nii," Yuzu clapped adoringly, "You should go on the show!"

Isshin nodded approvingly and he and Yuzu chattered amongst themselves suspiciously. Yuzu rolled her eyes.

_That would actually be interesting,_ Ichigo thought and turned back to the TV screen. The contestant was ferried off with a large cheque for ten thousand yen and the hostess bounced back into the middle of the screen. Ichigo was amazed at just how short she was; the camera needed to shift down to centre her. She always wore cutesy dresses normally with a bunny theme. Yuzu loved admiring all the clothes she wore and had developed a similar obsession for bunnies.

"And that's our show for tonight! I'm Rukia Kuchiki and thank you again for watching 'Super Lucky Trivia Show'! Don't forget to tune in next week for our Ultra Mega Jackpot cash prize!" She used her signature hand wave and as another shower of confetti fell down, the theme music rolled in and credits flashed across the screen.

At the 'Super Lucky Trivia Show' Soundstage, Rukia Kuchiki waited until the camera light stopped flashing before relaxing her pose. As the lights dimmed, she could finally make out the figure of her red-haired Cameraman. He clapped his hands absentmindedly with a grin spread across his face, "Well done, Rukia. That elaborate hand-wave of yours makes me laugh every time."

"Oh shut up, Renji. It took me forever to perfect it." An assistant handed her a cup of coffee which she accepted gratefully. "Next week's going to be interesting. Apparently we're going to have a younger contestant; I heard that his doctor father did everything he could to get him on, saying that it was for his birthday or something."

"Isshin Kurosaki, I think it was." Renji nodded and stretched. He really needed to check the camera stand. It seemed to slide down ever so slightly and was doing his back in. It didn't help in the slightest that Rukia was tiny. Maybe next time he'd steal a chair from somewhere. "He's become quite popular recently after performing some seriously talented operations."

"There are a lot of cheaper things than an appearance on this show. And it's more expensive because the ratings have been so good recently." Rukia was indeed chuffed at the recent poll results and ratings.

'Well I heard that his son's really smart," Renji said, "he might actually do well."

Rukia chortled into her coffee, "I highly doubt it. He's probably going to stuff up and look like a fool, _and_ on TV to boot."

Renji frowned, "Oh? 3000 yen says that he wins the Ultra Mega Jackpot!"

Rukia rose to the challenge and stepped forwards, "I have 3000 yen that says he _doesn't_ win it."

"Deal?"  
"Deal."

They shook hands and walked their separate ways, both believing whole-heartedly that they would win the bet.

Back in Ichigo's room, Ichigo lay down on his bed with his hands up behind his head. It was past dinner time and the sun was dimming on the horizon. He heard a quiet knock at his door, "Yuzu? Karin?"

Karin came in and shut the door behind her with a gentle _click_. No one spoke for a while and Isshin could be heard in the background yelling at the television. Then Karin suddenly broke the silence, "You've figured out that dad has got you a spot on 'Super Lucky Trivia Show' for next week, haven't you?"

Ichigo nodded. It was incredibly easy to figure out, what with Isshin and Yuzu muttering to each other and giggling randomly. And also the fact that his birthday was next week too was a dead giveaway if he hadn't already figured it out.

"You're okay with going on it, aren't you?" Karin knew Ichigo's personality well enough to know that he might actually refuse the idea entirely.

The corner of Ichigo's mouth twitched upwards in a smile. This was probably the only show he wouldn't mind being on – as long as he wouldn't be forced to act cheerful and hyperactive like the hostess. "It's alright with me. Let dad have his fun, it'll be good for the both of us."

Even Karin had to smile at that because as much as Ichigo might enjoy it, the rest of them would probably enjoy it a lot more. At the thought of their dad, Karin's smile faded, "but did you know that dad spent a lot of money to get you on there? Money that we don't really have anymore."

Ichigo sat up sharply, "I didn't know anything about that."

"I saw the newest bills. It's bad enough that we always seem to be paying for your frequent visits to hospital."

Ichigo knew she was right. He glanced quickly at his bed, underneath which was his katana. He bought it just to shield himself from some of the more strong-willed gangs that never seemed to stop attacking him. The result was always the same; no matter how much he said he didn't want to fight he'd always end up defending himself in a fight. He'd deliberately not taken it out from under his bed in a while, but without it, he almost always had injuries. It was a price he had to pay to stop himself from really hurting someone – not that they didn't deserve it. He knew that some amounts of money had been used to pay for recent injuries, but he definitely wasn't aware that it cost heaps to get him onto the TV show. Ichigo cursed under his breath. "Shit, Dad, you idiot. I'll say no and make him get his money back right now!"

He stood up and marched towards the door, only to have Karin jump in front of him. "No! You can't Ichi nii-san!" She put her hands out as a barrier, "Look how happy they are. You said yourself that it'd be good for the both of you. So, please..."

Ichigo sighed. "You're right."

Karin frowned in thought, "But what're we going to do about the money?"

"Hmph," Ichigo pointed at himself, "I'll win it back of course! Next week is a mega jackpot. They must have some kind of special prize and I'm gonna win it!"

"Ok, so we just put the microphone on here," the cameraman clipped it on the inside of Ichigo's shirt collar, "And that's about it." He smiled warmly at the nervous teenager in the booth. "You'll be fine. You're actually calmer than I thought you'd be."

Renji walked back to the main camera and smiled. He was ultimately sure now that he would win the bet. The kid looked like a delinquent but he had this aura about him that demanded respect. Did this kid ever _not _frown? He frowned even when he was smiling. Rukia was standing in the centre of the stage, waiting for the signal to begin the show. He gave her a little mocking wave and she stuck out her tongue in rebuttal.

Before he got out onto the stage, Ichigo had been fine. Nothing ever shook him so why should a TV show? But sitting down on the stage in his tiny booth, he started to think otherwise. But the thing that annoyed him the most, he concluded, was the lights. It was as if they were trying to pin him to the spot like an ant under a magnifying glass. Ichigo could just see his family down in the front of the Audience. Isshin was grinning wildly and Yuzu was waving happily. Karin wasn't smiling however. She stared worryingly at Ichigo with a hope that their plan would work out.

A blue and white bunny-print dress suddenly blocked out his view. He looked up to see that the hostess had extended a hand towards him. "Hello, Kurosaki-san. I'm Rukia Kuchiki, the hostess."

Ichigo smiled politely and shook her hand, "I know. My family and I watch every week. It's great seeing you in person."

Rukia was obviously enjoying the admiration and brushed her hands over her dress. She stepped back into the middle of the stage and clapped her hands together. "Alright, everyone! Let's make this a good show tonight! Renji, hold the camera in position and start the count down!"

"_Three_!"

The lights intensified to an unnatural brightness, blocking out everything past the wiring and cameras. Rukia almost seemed to glow under the lighting, her sleek black hair flicking with every movement.

"_Two_!"

Ichigo was almost in awe. His nervousness from before melted away as he watched Rukia's face miraculously change into a sparkling grin. He could see why she liked working on the show so much.

"_One!_"

The theme music started to rumble up through the speakers and blast out onto the stage. The experience itself was extraordinary, but that wasn't enough for Ichigo. He needed to earn the money back for his dad and make his family proud.

"_Action!_"

Ichigo sat up straight, his face set with determination. _I'm going to win!_

What felt like a lifetime passed in the blink of an eye. The questions were tougher than Ichigo could remember, but maybe it was just his anxiousness. When he got a question wrong (which only occurred a rare few times) his determination spurred him forwards where others might've crumbled under the pressure. Ichigo only realised how time had passed when he was all but dragged out from his booth by the ever-hyper hostess. Ichigo became aware that the show was drawing to a close and suddenly panicked. He had a brief mind-blank and had no clue what had happened. Did he win? Did he lose? He was dragged into the centre of the stage – the show was almost at a close.

Rukia leaned in close, her face lit up with true admiration, rather than a fake smile. "Well, Kurosaki-san. I have to say that today has been one of the best this show has ever had. This last question is the difference between success and failure." Every member of the audience was hanging onto every word she spoke. Even Ichigo himself couldn't help leaning in slightly. _It all comes down to this._ Ichigo thought.

"You've got twenty seconds to answer and the first answer you give us is the one we must accept, so think before you speak, Kurosaki-san." By now, Rukia was well aware that Renji was right – Ichigo Kurosaki was indeed very intelligent. But being so competitive, Rukia wasn't going to loose the bet without a fight. She'd saved the best question for last; she held the inside of her wrist out towards Ichigo, "The final question is: what brand of perfume am I wearing?" The answer was put up on a small screen for the audience so she couldn't lie and Rukia smirked as she saw Renji hit his head against the camera frame. He might as well take the money out now.

Ichigo went pale. Of all the things he would probably knew the least about; it _had_ to be something girly. Forcing himself to calm down, he leaned in and the scent wafted over his nose. Ichigo's eyes widened and something sparked in his mind. He was definitely familiar with this scent. But where? He wracked his brain trying to find a clue... _Yuzu!_ Yuzu had that Rukia obsession and bought all her merchandise. He definitely remembered her wearing it happily. But what was it called? It was Bunny D–something-or-other. Bunny _Dream_? Bunny _Dior_? Bunny... "B-Bunny Dior Star!" That's what it was called. Ichigo was _sure_ of it.

Rukia's mouth hung open for a fraction of a second, but her training kicked in and her face widened into a massive grin. "You've won! It's amazing that you could answer such a question!" And Rukia really was amazed. She'd advertised it once or twice, but she was really sure that he wouldn't know it. She mentally smirked and was sort of glad that she'd lost the bet.

The crowd cheered and clapped vigorously at Ichigo's success. Rukia turned to the applauding audience and the camera. "Today on Super Lucky Trivia Show, we have an Ultra Mega jackpot cash prize! To decide just how much money Kurosaki-san is going to win, we have an electronic roulette machine which will go through a series of cash prizes." A machine that looked similarly to a casino slot machine was rolled forwards out onto the stage. "To prove that the machine isn't rigged in any way, we'll have Kurosaki-san pick someone to pull the lever for him."

Ichigo knew exactly who he wanted to pull the lever. He motioned for his dad to come up onto the stage. Isshin was initially startled but still walked up onto the stage all the same. He smiled warmly at his son, "I'm _very_ proud of you, Ichigo." He turned and pulled the lever downwards with a hearty tug and the roulette spun rapidly, numbers flashing across the screen. Ichigo and Isshin held their breaths. Ichigo had already won, that was guaranteed, but neither of them had any clue as to how big or how small the cash amounts on the machine were. Ichigo bit his lip. Would the winnings be enough to pay his dad back? Yes, hopefully.

The machine slowly stopped and locked on the bar. Ichigo couldn't help but let his mouth hang wide open at the cash amount on the screen. That was a _lot_ of zeros. Back in the audience, Karin saw the large sum, leapt up off her chair and yelled with joy. Pulled out of their trance, the crowd roared with elation and on cue, the multicoloured confetti rained down from above in glittering showers. Isshin looked over at Ichigo and fought back a chuckle. He looked absolutely dumbfounded with eyes wide and mouth still hanging open like a stunned mullet. "H-how much is that exactly?" Ichigo managed, shakily.

Karin and Yuzu rushed up onto the stage and danced around, laughing happily. "We won, Ichi-nii! We won!"

Rukia was even given a hug or two by Isshin and his daughters, "Nine-_hundred_-million yen, our biggest jackpot ever is given to Ichigo Kurosaki, the fantastic winner of today's Super Lucky Trivia Shooooooow~!"

The crowd continued clapping and at some point, Isshin, clapped Ichigo on the back, finally releasing him from his stupor. The corners of his still open mouth turned upwards at the sight of his family's cheering. He'd won. With this money, he and his family were set for life, let alone repaying his dad. Ichigo turned slightly and pumped his fist as high in the air as humanly possible.

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And that's chapter one people! You'll see Grimmjow in the next chapter.

Comments and reviews will be used to sweep up all that confetti.


	2. Dollar For Your Thoughts

**All for the Money, Honey [Chapter 2: Dollar for Your Thoughts]**

**Pairing: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques x Ichigo Kurosaki**

**Rating: M (Only T for now, but it'll get there)**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach or any of its character (I wish)**

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"_Nine-hundred-million yen_!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes as they stepped out onto the roof for lunch. "Look, Keigo, I heard you the first time. And it still means the _exact_ same thing almost that many times later."

"But I just still can't believe it!" Keigo followed Ichigo and they sat down between Chad and Mizuiro. "And you got to meet Miss Rukia Kuchiki in person!" His eyes sparkled as he daydreamed.

Tatsuki came through the door and sat down opposite them. "Keigo is _still_ talking about that?" She raised an eyebrow. "It's been a week already."

"I think he's afraid that I'll up and leave just like Orihime." Ichigo ignored Keigo's pout at the comment.

"Well it wasn't like she had much of a choice," Tatsuki defended, "She's at the top of the charts right now and it would've been mean to selfishly keep her here."

Ichigo nodded understandingly. About a year back, Orihime took part in some kind of singing competition and the crowds just loved her. Because of that, she developed quite a following and was finally given the opportunity to sing professionally. With Tatsuki giving her the ok, she took the deal and has become quite the icon. She'd come to school maybe once every fortnight to keep up with the occasional schooling, but Orihime was part of a different world now. And Ichigo had the feeling that he himself was just starting to get a taste of it. Only just yesterday, an old gang that wanted Ichigo to join made another proposition, asking because he had so much money now. Ichigo came out of it with the fewest wounds with only a few bruises and a cut across his left cheek.

High pitched squealing interrupted the silence. It came from down inside the school making everyone look up sharply. Chad and Ichigo stood up and rushed through the door back inside. Was someone hurt? The screaming continued, but there were too many people screaming for it to be just some bully. As Ichigo paused on the stairs, he looked down to see a huge crowd of students all centred around a familiar sight of spiky red and sleek black hair. "... What the hell are they doing here?"

He walked further down the stairs, curious as to why they'd bothered coming to Ichigo's school. It looked like they were here to see him but he had no clue why. As he got down to the ground floor, the spiky redhead was very easy to see over the massing crowd, but Rukia was nowhere in sight.

Renji caught his eye and waved. He then pushed through the mass towards him. "This is crazy! I knew the show was popular but at this rate, we should've bought some bodyguards along." When Renji got close enough, Ichigo could see him dragging Rukia by the back of her pink dress. As he'd guessed, Rukia was having the time of her life. Students were forcing her books to sign and every now and then a camera or phone would flash. Renji followed Ichigo's line of eyesight and rolled his eyes. "This chick has _absolutely_ no restraint."

He pulled her around to face Ichigo and she grinned broadly. "Oh, Kurosaki-san! We were looking for you. We thought we'd gotten the wrong school for a moment – thank god you're so easy to spot," she glanced upwards quickly at his hair. "I need to drag you out of school for a moment, but first there's a group of students who want—"

Renji gave her a firm shake, "-No, _now_."

Rukia frowned but they slowly made their way out of the school towards Rukia's limousine. Ichigo raised an eyebrow. Driving a limousine into the school was as far from inconspicuous as you could get. The interior was even fancier still. Ichigo sat opposite them with his arms crossed the entire ride, not saying a word. They finally stopped outside a glamorous cafe on the rich side of town. The place was so colourful and bright and Ichigo felt suddenly under dressed. It serves them right for dragging him out of school. They sat down at a small table in the corner away from wandering eyes.

After a waitress came around with the menu's, Ichigo finally spoke up, "I was on your show just under a week ago so what do you need me for now?"

"You see, the thing is.." Rukia shifted in her seat, "because of the seriously large amount of money you won, we didn't actually think too much about how this might affect you."

"We just wanted to make sure that you're handling the money okay, and that you're safe." Renji frowned and looked to the side, "We've seen people more than enough times go mad with the instant rush of cash or they've gotten into some serious danger because of it."

Ichigo huffed dramatically. "I appreciate the sentiments, but I can look after myself just fine."

"I can see that," Renji tapped his left cheek indicating Ichigo's cut. "But this doesn't just involve simple assailants or threats anymore. It looks like you've caught a few unwanted eyes in this side of town." Renji had overheard some conversations recently and the name 'Kurosaki' had been mentioned once or twice. And the group that had been mentioning the name didn't look very hospitable. That was never a good sign.

The drinks came around and Ichigo gave his glass a swirl and took a sip, "I've taken some precautions myself, you know. Two thirds of all my winnings have been deposited in a secure bank account that I can only open when I'm 21. That still leaves me with 300 million Yen to work with, which is more than enough."

"That's a start." Renji nodded. "But you're going to need more than that just to stay safe."

Rukia took a long swig of her drink. "I like you, Kurosaki-san. You're an interesting kid. So do us a favour, put your ego aside for a second and get yourself a bodyguard or something."

Ichigo glared at her. He didn't need a bodyguard. He thought about the katana under his bed. The thing was for more than just show, he learnt how to use it and he was pretty damn good. If he had to take it out from under there once more then fine, so be it. Bullies and gangs were practically part of his everyday routine thanks to his vibrant hair colour. It was amazing how many times you could tell someone that it wasn't dyed that way, but they still didn't hear you. "So where's _your_ bodyguard then, hm?"

Rukia pointed next to her, "This guy is all I need. We've been friends even before I got into show biz. He's my cameraman, protector and ally."

Ichigo snorted, "Why don't you just add _husband_ to the list?"

"Why the hell would I marry _this_ freak?" They both spoke in perfect unison. Ichigo would've believed it a lot more if their faces hadn't turned a light shade of pink.

Renji grabbed a napkin off the table, wrote something down on it and handed it to Ichigo. "Take this. It's the number for Sosuke Aizen. He's probably one of the shadiest people around, but he's got a fantastic bodyguard corporation that will sell one to almost anyone."

"I _don't_ need a bodyguard." But he took the napkin anyway and shoved it in his pocket. "And even if I did – which I don't – I wouldn't pick some random person that I had no trust in whatsoever."

Rukia shrugged. "You never know."

An alarm went off on Renji's phone and he tapped her on the shoulder. "Time to go, Rukia. We're actually not supposed to leave the set on our breaks, but we thought we'd say hi. Byakuya's going to murder us when we get back. Keep in touch with us, Ichigo. My number's scribbled on that napkin too if you ever need some help."

"Do you need a ride back?" Rukia offered but Ichigo just shook his head.

"I can catch a cab. I sort of know my way from here."

Renji nodded and Rukia waved as they left the building. Ichigo slumped into his chair and took a swig of his drink. Sosuke Aizen, huh? How come he knew that name from somewhere? He'd always been crap with names and faces so it wasn't surprising that he couldn't remember.

When Ichigo stood up to leave, a fight started to break out a few tables over on the right, near the door. He stayed as close to the left as possible, but at the door, someone's elbow swung backwards, hitting him in the shoulder. Ichigo cringed.

The person whose elbow swung out turned sharply, "Whoa, watch it, kid."

Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, but his eyes were suddenly drowning in blue. The man had the bluest hair he had ever seen and sharp eyes of the same shade. They were strong and focused. The concentration of his gaze was almost making Ichigo embarrassed.

As he looked, the man's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Hey, have I seen you somewhere before?"

Ichigo was very sure that he hadn't. Even with his shitty recognition abilities, he was sure he'd remember a hair-colour like _that_. "I was on TV not long ago." He replied indifferently. As he walked out, he was sure that the blue-haired man's eyes were still on him. As long as he didn't want to fight him, Ichigo decided he couldn't care less.

By the angle of the sun, Ichigo could tell that there was no point in going back to school; it would be over before he got there. He groaned. He'd have to pick his things up tomorrow, unless someone grabbed them for him.

He stood on the corner of the street for at least 10 minutes trying to flag down a taxi. A breeze swept past and he frowned. He might as well start walking some of the distance before it got any darker.

After a few minutes, he became aware of a presence that seemed to be following him. It was probably that blue-haired guy. Ichigo sighed and turned around, "I _know_ you're there."

To Ichigo's shock, instead, three people stepped out from around the corner, grinning with knives in hand. _Shit_. The last thing Ichigo needed right now was pissy gang members looking for a brawl. He instantly regretted saying what he did. Accidentally encouraging their moods wouldn't do him any good.

"Oh, well aren't we a sharp one." One of the shadier looking ones of the three spoke up. "What gives you the right to act all high and mighty with you and your fancy dyed hair, hn?"

"_Oh for shit sake,"_ Ichigo cursed under his breath and moved into a fighting stance. Fuck it. It'll end up in a fight no matter what he does. "One; it's not dyed and two; I can even smell the alcohol from _here_ so take my advice and go walk it off."

Taken aback by the brazen comment, all three then lunged forwards with knives at the ready. Ichigo blocked the first attacker's knife by grabbing his arm and twisting it. The second sliced upwards and Ichigo stepped just out of the way as it sailed past. He kicked him and jutted his hand upwards, breaking his nose. The third came running from behind without warning and sliced open Ichigo's arm. He hissed with pain and backed away, looking around for something to defend himself with.

The first and second were up again and started to drive Ichigo into a corner. Ichigo clutched at his wounded arm and noticed the red stain spreading quickly down his sleeve. The cut was deeper than he'd thought. Might leave a scar for a while too. To buy some time, Ichigo lashed his wounded arm out, hitting them with droplets of blood. This startled them long enough for him to kick one of them hard in the stomach and escape from their cornering.

Ichigo panted heavily, "_I_ can act all high and mighty because _I_ can back it up with this!" He swung his leg up in an aerial kick, hitting the first on the top of his head and smashing him face-first into the ground. There was no way that he could still be conscious.

One of the remaining two growled and stuck his hand in his pocket. Ichigo grimaced when he pulled out a handgun. Ichigo knew he wasn't fast enough to dodge bullets of all things, not when his arm was still dripping blood as they stood. _I hope I don't get myself killed,_ Ichigo thought as he took a leap of faith and lunged forwards, knocking the gun to the side.

A shot was fired and it echoed through the street. Ichigo pulled his hand back as the heat of the shot burned it. As the assailant aimed for a second shot, Ichigo ducked down and ignoring the pain in his arm, kicked across, knocking the attackers feet out from under him.

Ichigo stood and kicked the gun free from his hand. By the fact that he wasn't getting up, he assumed that the fall had knocked him unconscious. He was about to step back when he felt the cold metal barrel of a gun at the back of his head. _Shit!_ He'd forgotten about the third guy. There was no one else around and there was very little he could do without the attacker probably shooting his brains out.

Suddenly, there was a muffled noise and the gun was removed from his head. Using this chance, Ichigo swung around with a Roundhouse kick aimed at the head. Someone caught the kick before it hit and Ichigo looked up to once again meet those crystal blue eyes. The third attacker was sprawled on the ground, out cold in only one hit. Looking the man up and down, he could see the contours of muscles coiled under his sleeves.

Ichigo stepped backwards in self defence, he had no clue who this man was, but he was sure that he wouldn't win right now if they started fighting. He was so focused on analysing the stranger that he missed what he said. "Excuse me?"

The man ran his hand absentmindedly through his hair. "I remember now, you won big bucks on that trivia show last week."

"It's nice to be so highly thought of." Ichigo's voice was thick with sarcasm. He supposed he should be thanking him for basically saving his life, but Ichigo wasn't so sure if he could trust him yet. He wore expensive looking clothes that gave off a suave aura but that knocked out guy on the ground told otherwise. The blue-eyed man's hands were rough and scarred like he'd been in fistfights all his life. Ichigo was suddenly curious in seeing what kinds of scars the man had on his body.

"Yes... But I know you from somewhere else too." The man noticed Ichigo's steamy expression and felt a shiver pass down his spine. Yes, he was it. But what did _it_ mean? He didn't know.

Ichigo broke his gaze and slowly unfurled his hand towards him, "Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Grimmjow Jeagerjaques." He grabbed Ichigo's hand and pulled him forwards until they were inches apart.

Grimmjow was _radiating_ heat. When their hands touched, Ichigo felt that they were coarse and firm. Grimmjow whistled sharply and a white Mercedes screeched to a halt on the road behind them. "It's getting dark, Ichigo. Why don't you take a ride with me?" His azure eyes were practically smouldering.

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D: He's planning something for sure! Damn that peverted Grimmjow... But that's why we love you. Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Comments and reviews will be used to help Grimmjow's memory return.


	3. A Penny Saved

**All for the Money, Honey [Chapter 3: A Penny Saved]**

**Pairing: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques x Ichigo Kurosaki**

**Rating: M (As an overall, it just hasn't got that far [...yet])**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (Well _that's _quite the downer)**

* * *

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow's car and raised an eyebrow. He wasn't so sure he could trust this guy, but he _did_ save his life. Not many people would be willing to help someone out in a fight, especially when there were guns involved. He just hoped that Grimmjow was one of the good guys.

Grimmjow lead Ichigo into the car and shut the door. Ichigo could see a driver in the front seat, but he couldn't make out a face seeing as he wore a black visor that covered a little past his eyes. The driver gave him a small nod. Grimmjow sat beside Ichigo in the back and with a small wave of his hand, the car began to move.

There was a bump in the road and Ichigo winced as they passed over it. His arm was still bleeding through his uniform and he wondered just how much blood he'd lost. He'd start getting drowsy if he wasn't careful. "Do you have any first aid kits in here?" Any minute now blood would start dripping onto the seat leather.

Grimmjow calmly pulled a box out from under the chair and pulled out a length of bandages. He was still silently pondering, trying to figure out who this kid was. The face was familiar somehow and bumping him in the cafe rekindled something in him. He caught Ichigo looking him over again and couldn't help but smirk.

"What." Ichigo scowled as Grimmjow tightened the bandage on his arm.

"Kid, if you keep looking at me like that, you'll soon regret it." Grimmjow wiped the rest of the blood from his arm and his hand moved further up his arm for a moment to emphasise his point.

Ichigo obviously missed the gesture and scoffed, "So you're going to save me, then attack me?"

Grimmjow's grin widened. Ichigo was totally unaware that he was glancing at him with lustful eyes. So adorable. He could help but provoke a reaction from the red head. "Depends on what attacking you had in mind." He turned and brushed the back of his hand softly over the side of Ichigo's cheek.

"Wha-!" Ichigo's eyes widened and he edged backwards. Now he was _very_ sure that he hadn't met this guy before. There was something in the intensity of his strong blue eyes that Ichigo thought would make him melt if he didn't turn away. He needed to get out of this car quick before this pervert got any ideas.

"You're making faces again." Grimmjow smirked and tilted Ichigo's chin upwards. A faint blush spread across his cheeks and this time, Ichigo was definitely aware that he was blushing. These kinds of reactions to such casual gestures were making him tense.

Grimmjow started to move in closer, but Ichigo was ready for it. He lashed out with a kick to the shins and unbuckling his seatbelt, he rolled sideways and swung the side door open. Without thinking, he threw himself out of the moving vehicle and rolled off onto a patch of grass on the side of the pathway. Swivelling, he managed to avoid landing on his bandaged arm, but he probably had a few more bruises to add to the collection. The white Mercedes hadn't slowed or turned around yet and Ichigo hoped that meant that Grimmjow got the message that Ichigo wasn't interested. For good measure, he flipped the finger at the receding car.

The sun was well and truly gone now and streetlamps were flickering on. After looking around, Ichigo sighed in relief that he knew where he was. His house was probably no more than six blocks away. He took a glance at his watch and decided to call home. At least that way they would know that he was relatively safe – except for the arm injury, but his dad could easily patch him up. Briefly thinking that Grimmjow was actually good at tying bandages, he reached into his pocket to grab his phone. There seemed less in his pocket than usual and then it hit him. He searched the other pocket but it wasn't there either. "You've got to be shitting me! That horny_ bastard_ took my wallet!" Ichigo growled. He hadn't even felt him take it, which was a worrying thought. In the middle of all that he had his hands in his pants! Ichigo kicked the closest wall and it cracked.

Inside the white Mercedes, Grimmjow was tossing Ichigo's wallet up and down in his hands. "Karakura High School..." He read aloud absentmindedly as he looked at Ichigo's student ID card. He looked at the photo and smirked, _that frown of his never seems to leave his face. But I like it that way,_ he thought as he rubbed his sore leg. That was a fairly strong kick. Very unexpected too. Grimmjow was positive that the kid had been enjoying himself even if he didn't know it.

"Are we not turning back to get him?" The masked driver asked.

Grimmjow shook his head, "No, Ilfort. I've had enough fun for today. Just drive me back home."

"As you wish, Grimmjow-sama."

Now that he didn't have any distractions, Grimmjow was once again set on finding out just how he knew Ichigo. It was like when you can't remember a word for something and it just bugs you for ages and ages. But now, Ichigo looked more like a challenge. _He shouldn't be too hard to crack_, he thought. Grimmjow turned to look out the back mirror and caught the red head brandishing his middle finger in their direction. He roared with laughter.

Still fuming, Ichigo angrily punched in his home number which was answered by Karin. _"Hello, Kurosaki Residence."_

"It's me. I'm on my way home now." He growled.

"_Ichi-Nii! Are you okay? You sound like you have a sore throat." _

"No, I'm just in a bad mood. Oh, and get dad to take out some antiseptics and bandages." The pain in his arm was still stinging, but at least now he wasn't bleeding everywhere. He'd always been a bit of a bleeder.

"God, Ichigo! What have you done thi–" The line went dead as Ichigo hung up. He would just deal with it when he got home.

And so Ichigo began the walk home. It didn't take too long and he was used to walking places. That was the beauty of living in this area. Everything was close to everything else so it saved money on petrol at least. The Kurosaki family did have a car, but they only normally used it for when they were going somewhere further away or in an emergency.

When he reached the front door, someone must've heard him walking because before he could even open the door, it swung open and Yuzu leapt at him. "Ichi-nii!" She clung onto him and buried her face in his shirt. When she finally raised her head, tears were running down her cheeks, "W-we thought you were in *sniff* trouble!"

Ichigo's anger just melted away. "I'm sorry, Yuzu. I got into a bit of a fight on my way back, but someone came to help me so I'm fine, really."

"Where's this fantastic person who rescued my son! I must thank him!" Isshin ran to the door with zeal. "Where's this wonderful person?"

_He tried to fucking molest me so I kicked him and rolled out of a moving vehicle._ Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. "He said he had to be somewhere. You know, very busy saving helpless teenagers 'n' all."

"Wow, I hope we meet this courageous man again." Yuzu's eyes sparkled, totally missing Ichigo's sarcasm.

Ichigo pulled a face. He knew too damn well that he _would_ be seeing Grimmjow again. He had his wallet and all his details including where he lived. It was a matter of time before he turned up out of nowhere, still intent on finishing where he left off.

He walked inside and let his dad clean up his arm. Despite having more than enough money now, Isshin wouldn't let Ichigo buy them everything they wanted. He insisted that the money belonged to him and he should spend the majority of it for himself. But that didn't stop Ichigo from paying out every single tax that had their name on it and getting their house and the clinic revamped. Everything was new and sparkling but otherwise looked the same. Right after the show, Ichigo was in such a good mood that he bought Karin all new sports gear and every single piece of Rukia Kuchiki merchandise for Yuzu, the only reason why he'd won the Trivia Show. Ichigo's mouth tweaked up in a lopsided grin. Grimmjow or no Grimmjow, there wasn't anything that could spoil his happiness for his family.

The next day at school, Ichigo had to wonder how Rukia or even Orihime had been able to deal with the media. School student were just as bad any day. If it wasn't a question to do with why Rukia needed to see him, then it was asking about the mysterious gash on his arm. Ichigo always used to have mysterious wounds, but no one ever asked about it. They knew what Ichigo's personality was like. But _now_, he was like a freaking celebrity.

The majority of the morning was spent death-glaring at anyone who tried to come near him. Even his close friends knew enough to avoid him until he calmed down or else they'd receive the same treatment, friends or not.

"It's amazing how he goes into autopilot like that." Mizuiro commented as they saw yet another person almost scared to death after trying to ask about Rukia Kuchiki as they sat in class. The poor girl was sent scurrying back to her seat.

Tatsuki turned in her seat and shook her head. "It's _not_ amazing; he's just way too hot-headed. Wait until one of the teachers asks him something, _then_ he'll get what's coming to him."

"But the teachers are afraid of him anyway." Mizuiro pointed out.

"You _do_ realise that I can say every word you're saying." Ichigo leaned back in his chair and sent a scowl their way.

Mizuiro and Tatsuki both shrugged innocently.

"You three! Quieten up the back there!" The teacher pointed threateningly in their direction.

Scowling, Ichigo looked out the window. The front of the school was empty except for the occasional groundsman walking along. The road was empty too, until to Ichigo's horror, a familiar white Mercedes stopped at the gates.

"Who is it, Ichigo?" Mizuiro was sitting next to him and saw his surprise.

"... No way." Yes way. Grimmjow strode out of the car and in through the school gate. Ichigo just snapped. He slid the window open, leaned out and yelled at the top of his lungs, "GIMME' BACK MY WALLET AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The whole class stood up and ran to the windows out of curiosity. "Are you psycho, Ichigo? Who is that anyway?" Tatsuki hit him on the shoulder but got no response from the redhead.

Grimmjow heard Ichigo yell and looked up to the third floor where the kid was giving him a glare that could kill. He mockingly gave Ichigo a little wave and grinned. After moving a few steps back, there was a rush of air as Grimmjow bolted for the entrance doors. In a matter of seconds, the cerulean disappeared into the building.

"_Oh_ _shit_." Ichigo spoke under his breath. After hurriedly excusing himself he took no time in high-tailing the classroom. He wasn't entirely sure why he was running, but he knew that Grimmjow was stronger than he was and his 'intentions' were already crystal clear. Fighting him directly was out of the question, so getting out of his way was the next best option.

When he stepped out of the stairs and onto the 2nd floor, he saw the bright blue of Grimmjow's hair flash from the bottom of the stairs on the 1st floor. Grimmjow looked up and their eyes met for a moment before Ichigo bolted off along the second floor hallway. He could hear the footfalls of Grimmjow's shoes ominously climbing the stairs.

_Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!_ Ichigo sprinted along and into a spare classroom. _I freaking knew this would happen._ Every now and then, Ichigo hated being right all the time. This was one of those times. Because of the distance between them, Grimmjow hadn't seen the redhead close himself in the classroom. Ichigo held his breath when the taller man rushed past. Hopefully this would give Ichigo more time.

Ichigo swung the window open and looked down. The second floor was still high, but because he was so fit, it would be easy for him to jump into the garden from this height. If he left the school, there was a chance that he could loose him. "On three," Ichigo whispered aloud. Leaping out from windows wasn't all that new to him, but it always payed to prepare his body for the jump.

"One," He put his foot up onto the ledge of the window.

"Two," He stood up onto the window frame and braced his legs to jump.

"Three-aargh!" All of a sudden the door slammed against the wall and a strong pair of arms pulled Ichigo back into the classroom and secured themselves around his waist. "Urgh! Let me go, Grimmjow!"

"Oh, how'd you know it was me?" Grimmjow chuckled. He tightened his arms around Ichigo's waist, securing his slim frame. "What with you and jumping out of things, hm?"

"What's with you and stalking me, hm?" Ichigo retaliated with a growl. "I thought you got the message when I kicked you. And jumped out of your car. And ran from you."

"I'm really terrible at understanding subtle messages." In one swift movement, Grimmjow spun Ichigo around, grabbed his legs and swung him over his shoulder.

"What the- _Hey_!" Ichigo thumped him on the back, but with no prevail. "Let me down you son of a bitch!"

"Yesterday when I got home, it hit me." Grimmjow ignored his complaints, "I finally remembered where I know you from."

Ichigo stopped thrashing for a moment to listen, "I've met you before?" He was curious, but at the same time a bit worried. He was dragged back up the stairs and into the classroom where the students were still trying to settle down after Ichigo's sudden departure. After being taken back down from Grimmjow's shoulder, he pulled Ichigo is close. "If you just play along for a while, I'll explain everything later on."

Ichigo eyed him up for a second. "... Only if you keep your hands to yourself. I'm at _school_ and there are enough rumours about me floating around as it is without _you_ entering the mix."

Grimmjow's face lit up in a smirk, "Deal."

Tatsuki rushed forwards, "Ichigo, who the hell is this guy?"

"I'm his bodyguard." Grimmjow answered immediately.

Ichigo threw him a bemused glance but stayed quiet.

Tatsuki didn't seem convinced. But after eyeing Grimmjow up, he passed her evaluations for now.

When she turned away, Ichigo swivelled towards the cerulean. "I _don't_ need a fucking bodyguard." He growled under his breath so only Grimmjow could hear. "... And I still don't trust you."

There was a loud cough as Grimmjow tried to cover up a snigger.

Ichigo excused Grimmjow's abrupt presence to the class with a bullshit story that he was a new bodyguard that his dad had forced on him and that he was always trying to loose him. The teacher was still a bit rattled, but she let Grimmjow sit quietly at the back of the classroom. To Ichigo's surprise, Grimmjow stayed quiet for the whole day, his face blank and emotionless. He really might actually be a bodyguard. He probably even had the stereotypical glasses and earpiece stashed in a pocket somewhere.

Despite that, there seemed to be two sides to Grimmjow. He had a suave, docile side, but then there was the demanding, intense side. As much as he complained, Ichigo just couldn't help but be curious of the blue haired man. Now that he had a better look at him, he couldn't help but be awed at the strange flow of his hairstyle. It looked like an absolute mess but it suited him somehow. Was it as coarse as it looked? Grimmjow caught him watching him and Ichigo turned away sharply, resting his head in his hand to cover a blush that threatened to spread across his face. He needed to pay attention to his class, not the man who had just chased him through the school.

As school ended, he took his bag which had been returned to him that morning and left as quickly as possible. The faster he got away from school, the better. Not surprisingly, Grimmjow was right behind him, matching his fast pace with long strides. But what _did_ surprise Ichigo was when they got to a deserted hallway, Grimmjow pushed him against a wall. Breathing hotly into his ear, he sighed lustily, "You're making faces again."

Ichigo couldn't help but shiver as Grimmjow pressed up against him. "Is that the phrase of the week now?" He murmured weakly. Having him so close was starting to affect him on a whole new level and Ichigo wasn't so sure that he'd be able to push him away next time.

Slowly, Grimmjow slipped his hand under Ichigo's shirt and ran his hands over the coiled abs of his chest. "If I hadn't promised to keep my hands off you in the classroom, I would've dragged you into some empty room and fucked you right there." There was a deep and husky edge to Grimmjow's voice that made Ichigo quiver.

"And just what makes you think that you're getting any part of me?" The coarse skin of his hands on Ichigo's skin was doing strange things to his vision; everything was starting to haze.

"Well, you know what they say," Grimmjow trailed his lips up the side of his neck, "A penny saved is a penny _earned_."

Ichigo groaned. "That's some seriously twisted logic you've got there."

* * *

It's very twisted, Ichigo... Twisted but SEXY. LIKE. WOAH.

As much as I wanted Ichigo to give in at the start, It's Ichigo we're talking about here. He's a stubborn little thing :)

This Fan Fiction has been well recieved by everyone and I'd just like to say THANK YOU~

Comments and reviews will be used to get Ichigo's wallet back.

[EDIT: Changed the chasing scene around a little to make it a bit more believeable. I know it's taken me so long to do it, but I think it sounds better now... no idea what I was thinking when I first wrote that scene *shakes head in shame*]


	4. Cold Hard Cash

**All for the Money, Honey [Chapter 4: Cold Hard Cash]**

**Pairing: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques x Ichigo Kurosaki**

**Rating: M (It WILL get there!)**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters**

* * *

The shopping centre roof was covered with bright fluorescent lights that lit up the complex, making it forever daytime. Only when Ichigo looked out the exits could he see the sun setting low, meaning that it would probably be getting close to five o'clock soon. Ichigo wasn't alone in the shopping centre, someone was with him. No, it wasn't Grimmjow – He'd left almost an hour ago, after disappearing from the scene at school. Ichigo was with Orihime Inoue.

_Orihime. _An awkward shiver tingled down Ichigo's back. She hadn't said a word since they'd gotten out of her limo and entered the shopping complex. The ride over had been filled with pointless small talk that just filled up the impending awkward silence. _She saw us._ Ichigo thought with embarrassment, _she saw everything I just know it. Grimmjow had me pinned against a wall and she fucking saw it._ If there was a hole in the ground, he would've happily jumped in and let it close up around him. He grimaced as he thought about earlier:

"That's some seriously twisted logic you've got there."

Grimmjow laughed into Ichigo's neck, "Really? Why thank you, I try my best." His mouth kept moving upwards until he reached Ichigo's ear. He was hoping that he'd get a reaction out of the kid if he gave it a bite. But before he had the chance, the faint sound of steps resonated down the hallway.

Ichigo swiftly pushed Grimmjow's head off his neck. If he was caught by anyone, he'd never go outside again. His social life would be officially over. He listened intently to the steps in the distance. From what he could gather, they were heels – so it was probably one of the female teachers.

Grimmjow heard the footsteps too. "... Sounds like I might have an audience. Lucky me." He spoke just to rile the kid up.

With a low hiss, Ichigo went to push him away with his hand, only to have it held up above his head. "_Shhhhh_! I'd rather be _dead_ than get caught like this! Now let me go!" Ichigo hissed under his breath as he tried to tug his arm away with no prevail. Grimmjow had a seriously strong grip on his arm.

"Hello?" A voice came from around the corner. The steps quickened and grew louder as the person followed the sound of their voice. "Who's there?"

_That voice_! Ichigo struggled to get out from Grimmjow's tight grip, but it was already too late. Orihime Inoue walked around the corner to see Ichigo pressed up against a wall by Grimmjow, who had one hand up his shirt and the other holding his hand above his head. The whole image was very sexual.

Orihime jumped backwards in surprise, blushing deep red all the way up to her ears. "I-I'm sorry!" She scurried around the corner as fast as her legs could carry her.

Grimmjow finally let Ichigo down and looked over at where the chick had been. As much as he liked tormenting Ichigo, he wasn't actually going to do anything to him while someone was around. There was no way that he could do something like that to him. _Especially_ him. "Well that's embarrassing. Sorry kid. Can't say it's happened before but- _Woah_! Are you okay?" he looked back at Ichigo who had slumped down against the wall with his head buried in his hands.

If it had been someone he didn't know, he could've threatened them at the worst. But of all the people in the world, it just _had_ to be Orihime. Grimmjow's '_Well that's embarrassing'_ didn't even cover it – it was the most humiliating thing that had ever happened to Ichigo in his entire life. His head was throbbing as probably almost all the blood in his body rushed to his face in a violent blush. Even now, almost an hour later in the shopping centre, there was probably still a tiny blush on Ichigo's cheeks that had finally progressed down to a slight pink colouration, barely even noticeable.

Afterwards, Ichigo went to find Orihime and got her to calm down. In that space of time, Grimmjow managed to bugger off, the fucking bastard. Though from the fact that he'd let go of him earlier, it might mean that Grimmjow was sympathetic towards his case. But that certainly wasn't going to stop Ichigo from near killing him next time he saw him. When Orihime was calm, Ichigo managed to get her to talk about something else and why she was at the school in the first place. Turns out that she was going to surprise Tatsuki and arrive at her wrestling lessons in the afternoon to cheer her on. But she only found out when she got here that it was on yesterday. Now with an afternoon free, she showed Ichigo her limousine out the front of the school. Ichigo shook his head as he walked up to the door. People just didn't know how to be subtle these days. Just like in Grimmjow's Mercedes, the driver had his face covered. Was that part of the job description as a chauffer? Ichigo took notice that the interior of the limousine was split into two separate sections. There was most definitely someone else in the other compartment but whoever it was never revealed themselves throughout the whole drive over.

_And now here we are_, Ichigo thought unhappily as they continued walking through the centre. They passed a music store and a poster of Orihime's new hit single album was pasted on the window. To his surprise, she barely even glanced at it as they passed. But Ichigo just had to stop and look. The title of the song was '_I Care' _and Orihime was in the centre, wearing a long white dress that slowly disappeared into the background. He'd heard the song a few times from Yuzu and it was obviously very popular with teenage girls.

Inoue stopped walking and turned to see Ichigo intently gazing at the posters of her hit single. She couldn't help but smile and break the icy mood that hung over them, "How does it look?"

Ichigo jumped when she suddenly spoke, but returned the smile all the same. "It looks great, _you_ look great. How are you enjoying the high life?"

"It's wonderful – I get to go everywhere I've ever wanted to go, and everyone knows my name. But sometimes it just isn't the same without you and Tatsuki-chan around." She sighed and they fell back into silence.

Ichigo bit his lip, "A-about today..."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone!" Orihime shook her head violently, "I'm sorry that I ran into you two like that..." The blush from before slowly found its way back onto her cheeks.

"It isn't what you think!" Ichigo stumbled, "I mean, he's out to get me on some _deep, deep, disturbing_ level, god knows why, but I wasn't putting up a fight because-" he hoped she believed him, "because he's got my wallet!"

Orihime exhaled what looked like a sigh of relief and Ichigo resisted the urge to hit his head against a wall. Thank goodness she wasn't questioning the matter. But Ichigo _was_ telling the truth – it was part of the reason why he'd let Grimmjow go so far, or so he told himself. What was even more worrying was his own reaction to the situation. If an outsider looked at it from a totally unbiased view, Ichigo knew that they would think he had feelings for Grimmjow. The thought almost made him literally stumble over himself and into a seating bench. He only just missed running into it because Orihime tugged his arm.

She held his shoulder as he regained his balance, "So who was that blue-haired man then? Do you know why he likes you so much?"

Ichigo shook his head, "I have no clue. But he said something about knowing me in the past and he's been following me around, basically acting like my own personal bodyguard." _Which I don't need_.

Orihime perked up at the word, "You have one too? There was some trouble with the media last month and Tatsuki suggested that I should get one."

Ichigo mentally rolled his eyes and smiled. Orihime was very easily oblivious by nature. If anyone needed a bodyguard, it was her.

She continued, "I asked around and I was looking for someone really good at it, so someone told me about Aizen-san and-"

"-Wait, you got a bodyguard from Sosuke Aizen?" Ichigo exclaimed. Renji said that Aizen was shady, but his bodyguards were the best in the business. Ichigo certainly didn't need a bodyguard, but he thought he'd try to learn a little bit about this Aizen guy. If Ichigo could help it, he'd like to stay out of his way. He was in too many annoying situations as it was.

She nodded, "Uh-huh. He's really quiet sometimes but he takes me wherever I want to go. I like having him around and I feel safer just knowing he's there."

"So... Where is he now, then?" He looked nervously around the shopping complex. He'd had enough of bodyguards to last him a lifetime.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not too sure. Sometimes he just disappears for a while, but I know that he's close by somewhere. He's just a bit shy, I think."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. Whoever Orihime's bodyguard was, he sounded just as strange as she was.

A bubbly ringtone drifted out from the side of Orihime's handbag and she scrambled to grab her mobile phone. She pulled out a small pink phone and flipped it open to view the message. "Oh! That's him now. Looks like I need to see him for a moment." She threw Ichigo an apologetic glance, "I'm sorry I have to rush off, it was great seeing you."

Ichigo smirked, "Same here. Maybe next time you'll get the dates right for Tatsuki's boxing lessons."

Orihime giggled lightly, the awkward air around them was finally gone. She waved as she hurried off and Ichigo watched her go until he couldn't see her anymore. The sun was steadily setting and the shopping centre would be closing any minute now. Shops were closing up for the day and the crowds of people were waning quickly. Ichigo took this as a sign to move towards the exits and walk home.

With his hands in his pockets, he couldn't help but think about how much Orihime had changed. She was more confident somehow with an air about her that one could only ever achieve by becoming one of the rich and famous. Despite having all the money he had now, Ichigo doubted that he would ever change like that. He was perfectly fine staying the way he was anyway. Though, there seemed to be a radiating magnificence that hung around those kinds of people that demanded respect of some kind. _Even Grimmjow_, Ichigo thought.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a hand reached out and strongly pulled him into the darkness of a side-alley. Ichigo first assumed that it was Grimmjow, but this person's hands were long and slender unlike Grimmjow's rough ones. The mystery person pulled him backwards and secured his hand over Ichigo's mouth. A silvery voice whispered close to his ear, "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, so please, don't struggle."

Ichigo smirked, _yeah right._ He bit down hard on the attackers hand and stomped down on his foot. The attacker quickly let go of him and Ichigo spun around in a fighting stance. He swung out with a kick but it was blocked with the assailants arm. In one fluid motion, the attacker moved in close, wrapped his leg behind Ichigo's and rammed him to the ground. The air was knocked right out of his lungs and his breath came out in heavy rasps.

"I told you not to struggle." Ichigo looked up at his attacker with eyes wide. His eyes were cold and emotionless with small, focused pupils that stared directly at him. Tattooed on his face were permanent lines of green that ran down from his eyes like emerald tears. He wore an entirely back suit that blended into his ebony hair.

Ichigo gulped, "What the fuck do you want from me?" His voice came out hoarse and weak from being winded.

The assailant didn't respond but proceeded to reach into his coat pocket. He pulled out a small syringe filled with a clear aqueous substance. Before he could even react, the attacker jabbed the needle into the side of Ichigo's neck and injected it directly into his bloodstream. The world swirled around him and he laid his head on the floor with a soft _thud_. The roof above him shifted as the mysterious attacker dragged him along the floor by his foot, with no intentions of picking him up. Ichigo groaned in protest, his head swimming with so much drowsiness that his rising temper waned under his body's demand for sleep. But Ichigo knew that if he fell unconscious, it would only get worse there on in.

As Ichigo slowly slipped in and out of consciousness, he was vaguely aware that the light of the shopping centre disappeared behind him and the sounds of a car engine grew closer. As he fought against the drugs surging through his body, he forced his eyes open again and saw those icy green eyes stare up at him and close a car boot lid over him, closing him in total darkness.

He was tied and gagged in the boot of a car with no idea what was going on. The car rumbled below him and Ichigo lost his fight against the drugs. He slipped off into a deep sleep.

* * *

**CLIFFHANGER! **D: Sorry folks... Next chapter we'll learn more about Grimmjow's current life! Sorry if this chapter was a bit badly written and for the confusions in feelings for previous chapters. I'm getting my act together and I have the whole series planned out! never fear!

Comments and Reviews will be used to help wake Ichigo up and send some help his way! D:


	5. Money Talks

**All for the Money, Honey [Chapter 5: Money Talks]**

**Pairing: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques x Ichigo Kurosaki**

**Rating: M (plot comes first, lemons later!)**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (*cries in corner*)**

* * *

Getting out of his bonds was the first thing Ichigo needed to do when he woke up. From that point, he could remove his gag, look for a weakness and find a way out of the boot, find his attacker and then beat the living shit out of him. Ichigo knew the drill; He'd been confined in an enemies boot on a few previous occasions. The fact that he wasn't dead yet told him that there was some kind of air flow, at least enough to keep him alive. The car wasn't moving so there was a likely chance that the attacker wasn't around anymore. That was great news for Ichigo - now it wouldn't matter if he made a little extra noise while escaping.

But first things first, whoever tied him up (probably that emo-looking bastard) did a very basic job of it. Ichigo was thankful for small mercies and with a lot of fidgeting and twisting, the ropes came loose with ease. His gag was just a length of material wrapped tightly around his mouth and now that his hands were free, he untied it immediately. Ichigo's mouth was dryer than usual and as he raised himself up, a wave of dizziness hit him, making his head spin. The drugs the bastard injected him with hadn't fully passed through his system yet.

Ichigo searched around blindly, looking for somewhere on the boot lid for a weak spot where he could kick it up or somehow force it to open. He scowled when he didn't find any. _I'm probably not the first person this guy's had in here_, he thought sullenly. He would just have to wait until he was either let out or heard.

As much as he hated himself for even thinking of it, it occurred to him that he might actually need a bodyguard. Not to fight his battles for him, but to keep an extra pair of eyes out for him in case something bad could happen. _Like this, for example_, Ichigo thought gloomily. Ever since Grimmjow appeared, situations were starting to arise where Ichigo might actually need his help to get out of them. The idea that it could've all been pre-planned made his scowl deepen. Then there was still the issue of Grimmjow's credibility. Ever since he'd won the Trivia Show, he wasn't sure who to trust anymore. If Grimmjow wanted to protect Ichigo so badly, he needed to prove his trustworthiness first.

Outside, the sounds of a car engine made its way through his thoughts. A car pulled up and stopped beside his attackers, no, his _kidnapper's_ car. He listened quietly as light footsteps passed near the boot as someone got out. Should he take the chance and yell out or should he be patient and wait? Ichigo, whose patience levels were steadily thinning, decided to yell. "OI!" He thumped on the boot lid, "LET ME THE HELL OUTTA HERE!"

The footsteps halted and after some heavy rattling, light flooded into the boot. The sky above was clear and bright meaning it was at least ten in the morning. He'd been in the car all night long.

The opener of the boot gasped, "It's you! Well that's not good..."

Ichigo held up a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring light. "Who are you?" As his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked up at his saver – a man with long blonde hair that hung untied down his back.

From what Ichigo could see in the background, he was in a small car park next to what looked like a short upper-class office building entirely painted white. It was almost the length of half the block. The other buildings around him looked only remotely clean, let alone presentable. It must've been a shadier part of the city, but this building looked brand new with not so much as a scratch. Whoever owned the white building had some kind of power behind their name to have such a building in a place like this.

The blondie leaned forwards inquisitively, "I'm Ilfort Grantz," Ilfort grabbed Ichigo by the arm and heaved him upright and out of the boot. "But a more serious question is what the _hell_ are you doing in Ulquiorra's boot?"

"So that fucker's name is Ulquiorra? I wasn' doin' jack shit!" Ichigo's agitation was slowly rising, "I was jus' simply leavin'a shoppin' centa an 'e jump' me oud'a nowhere! –_uwa__h_!" He stepped forwards and another wave of vertigo made him stumble.

Ilfort caught him and sat him down on the side of the boot. He put his hand on Ichigo's forehead and stared at him intently. "Calm down for a moment – you're hyping yourself up and you're words are starting to slur," He frowned, "... Ulquiorra didn't happen to drug you, did he?"

"Fuck yeah he did." Ichigo pulled the collar of his shirt down, showing the pinprick where Ulquiorra jabbed him.

Ilfort bit his lip, "_Shit_. Say '_aaah'_,"

"_Aaaaaah_..." Ichigo opened his mouth wide.

"Is your tongue dry?" Ilfort inspected.

"Ah-hah."

He analysed for a little longer before turning Ichigo's head sideways to look at the needle mark, "Liquid injection of Alprazolam, I'd say. You've got all the right side-effects."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "Alprazo-_what_?"

"You'd probably know it as Xanax. It's pretty good stuff, but I prefer doing it the old fashioned way with chloroform. Now, don't give me _that _look," He pointed at the disturbed expression on Ichigo's face. "I wouldn't waste any of it on you, kid."

Ichigo stretched his stiff shoulder muscles, "Somehow, that doesn't make me feel any better."

"Well seeing as I found you, it would be rude not to offer some sort of transport. C'mon, I'll take you back home. You'll need to sleep for another few hours at least."

"I'm not sure if I trust you." Ichigo was sick and tired of weird shit happening to him in random peoples cars. But this Ilfort guy _did_ help him out.

Ilfort sighed and nodded his head understandingly, "I know it seems a bit of an ask for you to trust me after you've just been drugged, tied and shoved in the boot of a car, but don't worry, you're totally safe, I assure you. You're incapacitated enough as it is and if I was going to harm you I would've done it already. Your health is more important right now."

Ichigo eventually nodded and with Ilfort's assistance, he was transferred over to the passenger seat of the car beside him. During this, it never occurred once that Ichigo was getting into the increasingly familiar white Mercedes. Ilfort was there to pick up Grimmjow, but right now it was better if he got Ichigo home, safe and sound. He drove out of the car park and onto the road while Ichigo slowly nodded off to sleep.

Just over a minute later, Grimmjow sauntered out of the very same white office building. He glanced up at the sky briefly and put on his sunglasses. He'd been called in earlier this morning as a routinely check-up. Aizen liked to keep tabs on his various employees. Grimmjow never lied when he said he was a bodyguard, he truly was one. In fact, he was one of the _best_. As a rowdy teenager, he was recruited by Aizen and had been working for him ever since. To him, it was the best job in the world. Sometimes, he got a job where he could just let loose and wreck havoc and destruction, his blood-lust overtaking his whole mind. But to be good in this business, you needed two faces. Learning how to do this took longer for Grimmjow than it had anyone else, but when he finally mastered it, he became legendary.

Being one of the elite, it was forbidden for any of them to operate on their own agendas, but let's just say that Grimmjow had never been great at following rules, especially when spouted out by a smug billionaire. And as for Ichigo, he was definitely in the 'personal agenda' category. It was a shame that he had to leave so early at the high school; he would've liked to have enjoyed Ichigo's company for a little longer. _That is, if there's a next time_, he chuckled to himself. Grimmjow was sure that with enough willpower behind him, Ichigo definitely stood a chance of killing him. Probably.

Grimmjow's phone vibrated in his pocket and when he pulled it out, the caller ID was Ilfort. _He better have a good reason for being late_, he thought as he flipped it open. "Ilfort, where are you?"

Ilfort paused on the other end of the line, unsure of what to say, "_Sir, when was the last time you saw Ichigo?"_

Ichigo? Grimmjow wasn't sure if he liked where this was going, "Yesterday at Karakura High School. He left with some timid ginger girl... Why?"

"_Well, I just pulled him out the boot of Ulquiorra's car. He was drugged and bound too. So knowing that, guess who that ginger girl was - It was Orihime Inoue, Ulquiorra's employer."_

Grimmjow's lips curled up in a snarl, "That insolent bastard! He must've attacked Ichigo when he was with her! _Damnit_!" He kicked one of the larger pot plants, cracking it and tipping it over, showering the white concrete with soil. Ulquiorra had been Orihime's bodyguard for the past month, all of Aizen's elite knew that, but why the hell would he attack Ichigo? Grimmjow forced himself to calm down, "Is... Is he okay?"

Ilfort looked next to him at the soundly sleeping figure of Ichigo and sighed. Grimmjow was getting more and more obsessed with this boy as every single hour passed. It was quickly mentioned to him that it might be because he knew Ichigo in the past, from before he became a bodyguard. It was a memory that he'd once forgotten, but it appeared that the more he remembered, the more he came to care for the kid. "_He's perfectly fine. I'm taking him home as we speak. Sir, I think you should consider leaving this kid alone for a while – you're bad news with a capital B._"

"Ulquiorra's not targeting him to get at _me_, Ilfort. No, I think Ulquiorra has his own personal agendas this time-"

_"-There's indeed a first for everything_."

"Listen, no one knows my past connections with him, not even Aizen, and I'd like to keep it that way. And that's the _only_ reason I still haven't told you anything yet, I swear." Grimmjow said apologetically.

"_I don't mind. I know just as well as you how dangerous this side of society can get. There's a lot you don't know about me either, but there's no need to let it interfere with business."_ He could almost see Ilfort smirking through the phone. This was why Grimmjow had kept him around for so long. When he first became a bodyguard, Ilfort gave him a social boost and stood firmly as his foundations until he could walk on his own; always loyal and trustworthy as ever. Aside from being a good friend, he was also incredibly useful when it came to intelligence operations.

"Now, I have some business to settle with Ulquiorra. That bastard's had it coming for ages now..." A merciless grin widened across Grimmjow's face. Ulquiorra had always been a thorn in his side since day one.

Ilfort knew exactly what he was thinking of doing and his voice took on a serious edge, "_Grimmjow, I'm asking you as a friend - don't do anything stupid. At least until I get back._"

"Don't worry, "Grimmjow swivelled around and walked back through the buildings door. He had a bone to pick with Ulquiorra. "I won't." He hung up.

With a roll of his eyes, Ilfort pressed his foot down harder on the accelerator. It was guaranteed that Grimmjow would do something stupid so all he needed to do was make sure he was there when Grimmjow needed a fast exit. The white Mercedes sped down the streets, making its way towards the Kurosaki Clinic.

Inside the office building, Grimmjow fumed down the main hallway towards their meeting room. Grimmjow's anger was steadily rising as he thought about how long Ichigo had probably been in the boot of the car. He spotted Ulquiorra further down the hallway outside Aizen's office. As he stomped forwards, he forced his poker face on with great difficulty. He pulled off his sunglasses so he could look him straight in the eye. "Ulquiorra, I need to talk to you. _Now_."

Ulquiorra nodded silently and when they walked around the corner, Grimmjow punched his fist into the wall beside his head. "Just what the _fuck_ are you playing at, huh?" He grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer to eye-height. "What the _hell_ gives you the right to mess with my employer and think you can get away with it."

Ulquiorra's face didn't even twitch, "It's no concern of mine that you can't do your 'job' properly, Grimmjow. If he really is your 'employer' -which we both know he isn't- then you should do a better job of guarding him."

With a loud growl, Grimmjow slammed him into the wall. Dust from the roof was shaken free and drifted down. "I don't give a _shit_ why you're after him, but I will, _never_, _ever_ let you lay one single hand on him ever again, you got that?"

To his utter disgust, Ulquiorra chuckled lowly, "Well, well, a bit over protective aren't we?"

Grimmjow smirked darkly, "Heh, you say that now, but I know that this has something to do with _your_ employer. Is she really _all_ that, Ulquiorra?"

The edges of Ulquiorra's mouth turned up in a half smile, "At least she's _female_."

Grimmjow snapped. He snarled maliciously, baring his teeth like a wild animal, "I'll make you _eat_ those words, you _motherfucking son of a-!_" He pulled his arm back ready to strike, but someone from behind held it back.

It was Aizen. A sly smile spread slowly across his face, "You weren't planning to hit Ulquiorra were you, Grimmjow?"

"... No. I wasn't." His rage was cut short and he regretfully let Ulquiorra down, but not before giving him another shove into the wall.

Aizen chuckled, "What were you fighting about this time?"

Grimmjow looked away, "Nothing." Ichigo had enough to worry about right now. Things would get much worse if Aizen became part of it. The less he said the better.

"Surely you wouldn't get so heated about 'nothing'. I heard you mention an employer, but I haven't ever received word of someone employing your services." Aizen moved around to face him with his usual fake smile plastered on his face. That sinister smile never failed to send uncomfortable shivers down the back of his spine. "... Maybe you were talking about _Ichigo_ _Kurosaki_, perhaps?"

Grimmjow faltered as a wave of chilling anxiety washed over him and sank to the pit of his stomach. It slowly solidified into a strong sense of dread, ugly and black. He suddenly needed to see Ichigo's face, to make sure that he was indeed alright. If Aizen hadn't already made a move to somehow meet Ichigo, he would very soon. The glint in his eyes promised that.

Without so much as another word, Aizen turned on his heels and walked away, deliberately leaving Grimmjow in his stunned silence. Ulquiorra took this as an opportunity to escape him for now and followed Aizen as he left. While his back was turned, Ulquiorra frowned with extreme ferocity. By the way Grimmjow had confronted him, there wasn't even any point in checking if Ichigo was still in his car – he was undoubtedly long gone. But he'd see Ichigo Kurosaki again very soon, of that he was sure.

Grimmjow still stood in shock at Aizen mentioning Ichigo's name so casually. What had he been thinking? Of course Aizen knew about Ichigo. But it was the way he'd said it that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. There was curiosity buried in those words.

He shoved his hands into his pockets in frustration and they touched an unfamiliar object. He pulled it out to see that it was Ichigo's wallet. It'd stayed in his pocket, entirely forgotten from when he swiped it from Ichigo a few days ago. It was a black leather wallet with a strange skull symbol on the front. He opened it and pulled out a random business card. It had details scribbled all over it in messy handwriting, probably Ichigo's. He thought about the way Aizen had watched his every movement as he mentioned Ichigo, the way he smirked and smiled when he knew he hit a nerve. This time, the smile had been very, _very_ real.

Right then, Grimmjow was forced to make a tough decision. He squeezed his eyes shut in thought and re-opened them a matter of seconds later with resolve. With his phone in hand, he entered in the number on the card and hit '_call'_. "Hello, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki's Personal Assistant to his current funds." His hands clenched around the leather wallet, "I'd like to make a Cash Transfer..."

* * *

Block exams are important, but nevertheless annoying! (Can't wait till I graduate at the end of this year *mumblemumble*)

The story is getting much more complex now! I'm very happy with this chapter and the next one for _'Promotion to Lover' _is almost finished so keep on the lookout

Comments and Reviews will be used to give Ichigo a bear-hug and a pat on the back because I'd personally get freaked out if I was stuffed in the boot of a car (How would you react?)


	6. My TwoCents Worth

**All for the Money, Honey [Chapter 6: My Two-Cents Worth]**

**Pairing: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques x Ichigo Kurosaki**

**Rating: M (plot comes first, lemons later!)**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (If I did, there would be more GrimmIchi fanservice)**

* * *

Ichigo slumped down onto his bed and exhaled softly. Despite having been unconscious for such a long time, the moment he got home he was suddenly tired again. He'd pick his bed over the boot of a car any day. Ilfort had recommended that he sleep for a little while to let the drugs pass though completely and Ichigo was very ready to take up the suggestion. He pulled off his shirt and put his hands up behind his head.

"Thanks, for getting me out of there." Ichigo spoke to Ilfort who stood over at the door.

There was a brief nod in response, "Try not to make a habit out of it. Next time someone might not be around to save you."

Ichigo chuckled lightly. "I'll try – no guarantees though."

With that comment, Ilfort leaned against the door panelling as a concerned expression spread across his face, "Have you ever thought about keeping someone around to look out for you? I know it's none of my business, but Ulquiorra isn't like any other enemy you might've faced before. He's too strong and determined for you to handle alone, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. "

Ichigo shrugged, "That's probably true. I haven't had much luck with this guy, have I? But there's not much I can do about it other than try to wade it out. He'll eventually loose interest, they all do."

Ilfort threw him an all-knowing glare. "How do you know that? You and I both know that you need a bodyguard. I couldn't care who, I don't care how, but if you ignore the matter any longer, it might be too late."

Ichigo turned his body away from him with a huff. As much as he wanted to retaliate, he knew what Ilfort said was true. He _did_ need someone to help him through this. But there was no way he could ask one of his friends or family to take on that burden. So who?

The answer was already obvious before he even began to question it: Grimmjow. Feelings aside, Grimmjow looked like he'd definitely cared about his safety. And he'd already offered to be his bodyguard anyway. If Grimmjow really was who he said he was, then he might consider it. Maybe.

"I have a prior engagement I need to get to. Rest up, Ichigo Kurosaki." Having said all he wanted to say, Ilfort left the room.

Ichigo reached up to close the curtains and pulled the bed sheets up. It was a school day, but Isshin was fine with letting Ichigo rest at home. They both knew that he could certainly take care of himself, but that still didn't stop his dad fretting like any loving parent would. Ichigo was glad that he almost never asked about where he spent his nights. That kind of trust was something that he valued highly.

"I thank you again for bringing my son home." Isshin bowed deeply to Ilfort. They stood at the front door as he was stepping into the Mercedes.

Ilfort waved away the gesture, "You shouldn't be so kind to me. If it wasn't for my supervisor's influence, I would've probably walked right past him without so much as a second glance." He claimed that he pulled Ichigo out of a shady area of town and deliberately omitted that he'd actually found him in a car, and drugged as well. But what he said was half true. Aizen's elite weren't ever really known to be subtle in their methods and people in car boots were sometimes a common occurrence. He _really_ would've just left him there if he hadn't known about Grimmjow's interest in the boy.

The corner of Isshin's mouth tugged up in a smile, "We should thank this boss of yours then."

"I'll tell him that for you." Ilfort nodded his head in acknowledgement and closed the door of the car behind him. He tied his hair up in the usual low ponytail, slid his black mask over his face and let the engine roar as he drove back to Aizen's office building where he assumed Grimmjow was still waiting, if he hadn't already tried to make his own way back. Ilfort chuckled quietly to himself. During the whole car ride, Ichigo never picked up on that it was Grimmjow's white Mercedes. He didn't expect him to, being semi-intoxicated, but it still amused him all the same.

Suddenly, a black car sped past him and he curiously watched it disappear behind him in his rear-vision mirror. "At least _I_ keep relatively close to the speed limit," Ilfort huffed.

In Ichigo's room, the moment he closed his eyes, Ichigo was already asleep. Isshin watched him from the doorway, finally relaxing the frown lines along his forehead. He just _knew_ that what was happening had something to do with Ichigo's sudden surge of funds. Having Ichigo go onto the trivia show was a good idea at the time, but now that he thought about it, was it really?

The door bell for the Clinic rang in the distance, distracting Isshin from his thoughts. He walked over and as he stepped into the clinic, he was suddenly thrown backwards with a kick to the chest. Two men dressed in black stood before him. Their faces were covered with black masks. The separated as one ran in the direction if Ichigo's room but before Isshin could stop him, the other came straight at him with a small switchblade.

Isshin leaped up off the floor just in time to dodge the blade. He swung his fist round and it connected with the side of the intruder's face, knocking him backwards. The attacker quickly regained his footing and thrust the blade forwards again, swinging it around in an arc.

Isshin brought his arms up to protect his body from the blow. He hissed in pain as the blade cut through his skin. _Shit_, he thought as blood soaked through his sleeves. The cut was deeper than he'd hoped. Isshin stumbled backwards into one of the equipment trolleys and quickly fumbled around for a sharp object to defend himself with.

Sadly, he wasn't fast enough and while he was distracted, the attacker grabbed his shoulder and with a strong thrust, buried the blade into Isshin's chest. That final blow was too much for Isshin; he slid down onto the ground as he fought to remain conscious. Ichigo's safety was the last thing that crossed his mind as darkness enveloped him.

Seeing the man slide down onto the floor, the attacker pulled his blade free and followed the footsteps of his partner, who was on his way into their target's bedroom.

As something crashed outside, Ichigo stirred swiftly and raised himself slowly up from his bed, suddenly aware that something was wrong. With the utmost care, he reached down under his bed and searched for his katana. His intuition served him correct as his door swung open to reveal two men dressed in black and readily armed. He immediately recognised the black masks as the same as Grimmjow's driver, but he had a feeling that these two probably worked for Ulquiorra. _Oh god, not again._ Ichigo sighed shakily, the drugs still having an effect on his system. _Persistent bastards._

One of them ran at him with a switchblade and Ichigo brought his katana up to block it. The bed sheets slid underneath him, making him slide down and just missing the fist of the other attacker. He kicked upwards and it connected with their chin, throwing them backwards off their feet. He pushed his katana forwards to thrust the first one back and over the body of the second one.

The first attacker tripped over the other one but managed to flip over and land on their feet. The second one was getting up as well and stood up behind the first one. Their mask was cracked down the side from the fall.

While they were gathering their balance, Ichigo went on the offensive and with a yell, he jumped forwards with hits katana positioned to strike. He swung it down and the first attacker brought his arm up to block it. The katana hit his arm, but to Ichigo's shock, it didn't cut them. Ichigo looked carefully and could see armour beneath the cut material of their shirt.

The attacker with the cracked mask swung their fist downwards to connect with Ichigo's stomach, but seeing the movement, Ichigo swivelled the katana to block it. He sliced the blade down, finally making a cut into the opponent's fist. Droplets of blood flicked the wall as Ichigo swung the blade backwards and used the base of the hilt to hit the first one in a soft part of the neck.

The second one kicked out and hit Ichigo on the lower back, arching him backwards and giving the first one enough time to swing their switchblade at Ichigo's neck.

Ichigo raised his katana just in time to knock the blade off its course and it swept up his cheek, the tip cutting a line up to his nose. It was only a shallow graze, but still stung profusely. He swivelled around and swung his katana in a low arc across the second attacker's chest. He managed to make a shallow cut the lower abdomen and they reeled backwards into Ichigo's bed.

Ichigo grimaced as blood flecked his bed sheets. He would need to clean it up before Karin and Yuzu came back from school. The thought of his family made his eyes widen. Where the hell was his father? Did they attack him? Ichigo had to turn and black another blow from the first attacker. He glanced quickly out into the hallway, but couldn't see his dad.

His mobile phone sat on the corner off his desk and Ichigo knew that he wouldn't be able to make it out to help his father while trying to fend off the two attackers. Renji's number was in there. He pushed the first attacker backwards and reached out for his mobile, but not before they stabbed the switchblade into his desk, missing his hand by inches.

Ichigo reeled backwards and held the katana up in front of him. The attacker with the cracked mask rose up slowly from his bed and the other one slowly stepped forwards. Ichigo looked back and forth between the both of them as he felt the prickling sting of sweat mixing with the cut on his face. He licked the corner of his lips as a thick drop of the deep red liquid slid down to his chin. The drugs Ulquiorra gave him were still in his system and he wasn't sure how long he'd last. He needed to grab that phone. And fast.

-xxxxxxxxxxx-

At the train station, Renji was in a foul mood. Rukia's train was already ten minutes late and if he didn't get her to work fast enough, he'd be on the receiving end of one of Byakuya's life-threatening, if not _job_-threatening lectures. Checking his watch every few seconds only made his scowl deepen. "I can't believe this. It was _her_ idea to use public transport."

"... Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness." A rough voice came from behind Renji.

He swivelled around and came face to face with Grimmjow. The blue-haired man was catching a train back home. Ilfort hadn't arrived to pick him up yet and being eager to get back home, he made his way to the train station. His confrontation with Ulquiorra, then Aizen was still replaying in his mind. He thought back to his phone call to the bank. The transfer was successful and he hoped that what he was doing would work. If not, he wasn't sure what else to do.

Renji looked the teal-haired man up and down, "From the looks of you, you're way past that point."

"At least I do a better job of hiding it." Grimmjow jeered.

Renji opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly the phone in his pocket started vibrating, thinking it was Rukia, he picked it up and rolled his eyes, "Rukia, this is the last time I-"

"_Renji!_" Something heavy clattered in the background and he could hear Ichigo panting heavily, "_I need your help! NOW! My dad, he-"_

He raised his eyebrows, "Wait- Ichigo?"

Grimmjow turned sharply towards Renji. Ichigo? What happened to safe and sound? "_Goddamn it_, Ilfort," He cursed under his breath.

"What's happening, Ichigo? _Ichigo_!" Renji squeezed the phone tightly.

His phone was suddenly taken from his grasp as Grimmjow put it to his ear, "Ichigo! I'll be there as fast as I can! Hold on!"

"_Grimmjow? Wha-" _He hung up and tossed the phone back to the shocked redhead.

"You know Ichigo?" Renji eyed him wearily. Did this guy have anything to do with what was going on?

"I do, but that doesn't matter. Do you have a car here?"

"Yeah, but _I'm_ driving. C'mon." Without pause, he rushed back down into the car park with Grimmjow just behind him. He'd just have to pick up Rukia later.

They stopped at a red camaro and as they got in, Grimmjow looked the interior up and down, "Not bad." He admitted.

Renji put his foot down on the accelerator and sped out of the train station car park. The car rushed down the streets as Renji fought to recall Ichigo's home address. They noted it down when he came onto the trivia show and he hoped that he'd remembered it correctly.

"How do you know Ichigo?" Grimmjow asked curiously.

Renji raised an eyebrow, "I could ask you the same thing."

The pair fell into heavy silence, both wanting the other to come clean about their connection to Ichigo first. The only sounds heard were from outside the car as Renji continued to speed down he road.

Eventually, Grimmjow turned his chin up in a huff, deciding to be the mature one and talk first, "I'm Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, Ichigo's... Bodyguard."

Renji gave him a quick incredulous look before turning back to the road. "Well you're obviously not doing a very good job of it." He waved his phone around as if to prove his point.

Grimmjow scowled. Didn't anyone realise that he was trying? "It's not _my_ fault that he attracts attention like some huge freaking '_Come-and-get-me_' beacon. I've been doing everything I can right now and he's _still_ _alive_, thank you very much."

"Oh really? Are you sure you're not the person whose put him in these situations in the first place? I can tell you work for Aizen. Just why exactly are you after Ichigo, huh? Did Aizen put you up to it?" Renji still didn't entirely trust the bodyguard's story.

Grimmjow's face was sombre as he thought about Aizen's 'intentions'. "No, he didn't. I'm doing this out of my own free will."

"Oh so you're doing this on your _own_ intentions. I still don't trust you but if Ichigo's kept you around, you must be doing something right. But if _anything_ happens to him-"

"-Let's just concentrate on what's happening now." Grimmjow interrupted. He kept his hand clenched around Ichigo's wallet with an unspoken promise to keep him closer from now on. Not because he liked the kid, but because otherwise, he was as good as dead.

All of a sudden, the traffic turned heavy and Renji was forced to slow to a stop. He thumped the steering wheel violently, "Shit! We'll never get there fast enough."

"Speak for yourself." Grimmjow swung opened his door and started to step out of the vehicle.

Renji grabbed the corner of his coat, "Hey! It's still too far to walk! What the hell are you doing?"

Grimmjow looked over at Renji's frowning face and sneered, "... My job." With that, he bolted out from the car and disappeared down the street.

Renji raised an eyebrow at his disappearing figure, "Well, I'm obviously not needed anymore."

Sprinting at full speed, Grimmjow ran down the side streets of the housing area and came upon a familiar site. The sign of the Kurosaki Clinic was easy to spot from far off thank god. He slowed his pace and after glancing around quickly, continued through the wide open door of the clinic. An older man in a doctor's coat sat upright on the floor, slowly wrapping a bandage around his arm. He shot himself up with what Grimmjow assumed to be a local anaesthetic as he rushed forwards.

"You alright?" Grimmjow panted and glanced around the clinic, "Where's Ichigo?"

Isshin nodded his head in the direction of Ichigo's room, "I'm fine, but too weak to get up. Blood... Too much blood loss. And it hurts." A faint chuckle passed his lips followed by a cough.

Suddenly a crash came from Ichigo's bedroom and Grimmjow's hand closed into a fist, his nails digging into the skin of his palm. He silently promised that the next time he saw Ulquiorra, he'd shoot the bastard in the knees. He rushed over into Ichigo's room where he saw him fighting off two of Ulquiorra's henchmen with a long katana. Ichigo held the katana in front of him as he fended off one with a gash across his stomach and a wearing a cracked black mask. Without pause, Grimmjow jumped forwards into the fight and slammed his fist into the gut of the one attacking Ichigo. A brief flash of surprise crossed Ichigo's face.

The other henchmen came at him with a switchblade but Ichigo stepped in front of him and blocked it. "What the hell took you so long?" He panted. The cut along his cheek had clotted over, leaving a red trail down the side of his face.

Grimmjow scowled and tugged the second attacker forwards by the collar of his shirt. Behind the reflective black mask, he could just see a look of surprise spread across their faces as they recognised the blue-haired man. He was in no mood to be messed with right now. "Listen here and listen well, I'm looking out for this kid so if I see you _anywhere_ near him ever again, I'll _kill_ you!"

Being the employees of Ulquiorra, the two attackers knew Grimmjow well. They knew that the threat was much more than genuine, it was a promise. The first one folded their switchblade back down and after tugging the second one free from Grimmjow's grip, the both of them disappeared from Ichigo's room without a second glance.

Ichigo stood in astonishment with his katana still held up in a fighting position. His breathing was heavy and his muscles ached from the side effects of the drug. Despite being unhappy that he couldn't finish the fight himself, he was glad that Grimmjow had come to his aid. He sighed heavily, "... Thanks." Suddenly, he stumbled forwards as a hand hit him over the back of the head. He swivelled around, "What the hell was that for!"

Grimmjow pointed a finder at him dramatically. "That's it! I'm never letting you out of my sight again!" He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "I'm going to _kick_ Ilfort when I see him; he was _supposed_ to stay with you."

Ichigo remembered his father and rushed from his bedroom. Grimmjow was still venting his anger as Ichigo ran down into the clinic. His heart almost stopped cold in his chest when he saw Isshin lying on the ground with a sizeable pool of blood surrounding him. He dropped his katana and knelt down, "_Shit_. Are you ok? I'm sorry... This is all my fault." He buried his head into his father's shoulder. No matter what happened to Ichigo, it was never an excuse to burden his family with them. He thanked god that Yuzu and Karin were at school or else he wouldn't be able to live with himself. It was then that he realised that it was no longer safe to live at home. What if Karin and Yuzu _had_ been at home?

Isshin saw the irritation spread across his son's face. "Don't beat yourself up about it, Ichigo. I'm fine."

"Yeah, _this_ time." Ichigo spat angrily. "What happens if they bring guns next time, or if Yuzu and Karin are home? No, I can't stay here, not while someone dangerous is after me. I've got money, I'll rent out an apartment and-"

"Done." Ichigo swivelled to see Grimmjow put his phone back into his jacket pocket. "The arrangements have been made."

"But," Isshin put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder.

"Don't worry, I've got this guy to look out for me." He turned at Grimmjow who, with a smirk, pulled out a business card.

"Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, Aizen Corp. Bodyguard at your service." He handed the card over to Isshin and pulled Ichigo up onto his feet and to the other side of the room so they were out of earshot. "So I take it that you don't mind me sticking around?" He smirked devilishly.

Ichigo turned his face away, "Yeah. Having a bodyguard wouldn't be so bad."

Grimmjow looked over Ichigo's facial features and chuckled. He was making faces again. "I'll try and make it worth your while." He pulled Ichigo closer and after pulling out Ichigo's wallet, slid it back into the back pocket of his jeans.

* * *

Sorry it took so long, guys, but it took me forever to be happy with this chapter. I can tell you now that the GrimmIchi relationship ball is starting to roll so I hope you'll look forward to it!

If you read '_Promotion to Lover', _it's near completion, but it's taking longer than I thought to make the scene work so gomenasai!

Comments and Reviews will be used to buy a chain so Ichigo can attach his wallet to his jeans so Grimmjow can't nick it again. Though, if that happens, it just means that Grimmjow's hands stay down there for a little longer *winkwink*


	7. The Best Money Can Buy

**All for the Money, Honey [Chapter 7: The Best Money Can Buy]**

**Pairing: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques x Ichigo Kurosaki**

**Rating: M **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Bleach characters, not a single one**

* * *

Ichigo tossed his school bag down beside the front door. That new apartment smell wafted over him as he walked down the short hallway and into the lounge room. The last box had been unpacked yesterday, not that there had been much to move in the first place, but the unit finally starting to feel like it belonged to Ichigo. He looked over into the kitchen that was connected to it on the right and encircled with a winding marble bench. No more than seven steps from there was the door to Ichigo's bedroom. Almost every single thing in the residence was brand new from the kitchen cutlery to the 42-inch flat-screen television sitting in the corner of the lounge. Ichigo had fought with Grimmjow about replacing the new and pristine bed in his room with his own. It took a lot of stubborn arguments before Grimmjow eventually caved. On the one condition that everything else stayed untouched. When Ichigo reluctantly agreed, he skilfully made all the arrangements with only a few phone calls. Ichigo was bitter at first about the forced arrangement but after a week of getting used to his surroundings, he stopped complaining.

He flopped down onto the large black couch and tipped his head back, slightly tired from walking home from school. The new apartment was a bit further away from school than his last route and Grimmjow had offered to drive him, but Ichigo refused to be pampered and shook his head, saying that the extra exercise would do him good.

It had been just over a week since Ulquiorra's lackeys attacked the Clinic, and with Grimmjow's threat in place, Ichigo hadn't seen them since. For Yuzu and Karin's sake, Isshin made them promise to keep the incident a secret, not that Ichigo needed to be told to. So instead, he made up some lie about wanting to feel more independent or something along those lines as a reason for up and leaving home. The truth was a bit too much for the girls to deal with at this point in time, while Ichigo and Grimmjow were still getting to the bottom of the matter.

Ichigo's safety was the top priority, but the redhead wouldn't have been surprised if Grimmjow had gone to the extent of installing unwanted cameras in various locations in the apartment. And with that notion, the first thing he'd done when he'd first arrived at the apartment was check the bedroom and bathroom from top to bottom. Those areas were camera-free, but it didn't stop Ichigo from being overly cautious.

With nothing to do, Ichigo decided to go downtown. He pulled his keys out again and made his way back to the front door. This was what he loved most about living on his own – the ability to go wherever he wanted on nothing more than a whim. This wasn't that much of a change from the usual – he did that anyway, but it still put a little smile on his face.

He re-set the alarm, locked the residence back up again and headed for the elevator. The walk back to the elevator was short so he quickly arrived at the big metal doors, but before he could hit the 'down' button, they opened to reveal Grimmjow leaning casually against the inner railing.

When Grimmjow spotted the redhead, a startled expression crossed his face for a moment before he quickly disguised it and stepped forwards, holding the door open with his hand, "And you're going _where_ exactly?"

"Out." Ichigo put his hands in his pockets and smirked. It had become regular for the pair to provoke each other. "If you really are my bodyguard, then you should know where I am at all times."

Grimmjow chuckled, "Hence why I'm here."

"That was fast. I didn't think you'd get here until I was out of the building."Ichigo stated.

"Oh I'm fast enough. And it's not that hard," The taller man leaned forwards, "not when I live next door."

Ichigo's smirk instantaneously disappeared from his face. _Next_ _door_? He managed a shaky smile, "Even heard of the word '_overkill'?_"

"Yes, but you're important to me so you're getting the deluxe 'Keeping-Your-Sorry-Ass-Safe' package," Grimmjow's eyes travelled over Ichigo's body, "with minimal terms and conditions which we can discuss at a later date."

Ichigo's cheeks went a little pink under his gaze.

Grimmjow just caught the reaction and stifled a smirk. It was amazing how such a serious kid could make so many innocent expressions. Sure, they were empty suggestions, but keeping him guessing made it all the more fun. "But for now, these are yours," He pulled out a few envelopes and held them out for the redhead.

Ichigo took them and quickly sorted through them. Most were from pestering journalists or small details concerning his new lodgings, but a silver envelope caught his eye and he opened it to reveal what looked like an invitation. He read it aloud slowly, "Rukia Kuchiki invites you to the Seretei Awards Ceremony to celebrate her nomination for Best Television Show Host..."

Grimmjow let out a low whistle. The viewings for that show were higher than Grimmjow thought. And he wasn't planning to voice that all the recent publicity about Ichigo's win might've had some influence on it.

The redhead lifted his head from the invitation to look questioningly at his bodyguard, "Somehow, this awards show sounds familiar. Though, I'm not sure where I've heard it from."

It took plenty of restraint to stop Grimmjow from rolling his eyes. The Seretei Awards Ceremony had become one of the most popular awards shows in the past decade, but, of course, this knowledge passed right over Ichigo's head. "It's a very high-class awards show for the visual arts, mainly television and film and such," he paused and his eyes flicked over Ichigo's body, "… I don't suppose you have a formal suit lying around, do you?"

Ichigo raised his eyebrows and threw the other man a '_do-I-really-look-like-I'd-have-one-lying-around?'_ stare.

Grimmjow took it as a no. "To the shops it is then. Seeing as it's tonight we'll need to hurry up and get going. The venue is quite a ways from anywhere around here." Still holding the elevator door, he stepped to the side to let Ichigo in.

Ichigo ran his hand through his hair and sighed exasperatedly. "I don't know..." In all honestly, he wasn't sure if he even wanted to go or not. Since he'd won that jackpot, he'd been interviewed a few times in the past week and the attention wasn't entirely wanted. Going to the awards might make things worse.

Grimmjow could see where Ichigo's train of thought was going. He'd personally seen the publicity Ichigo's win had risen. It didn't last long, most news doesn't, but going to such a well-publicised event could change that. He let go of the elevator door and let it shut, "What am I, a backup singer? There is very little that I can't handle."

Ichigo remembered how the masked attackers' expressions changed, just from _seeing_ Grimmjow. It had been made very clear that he wasn't a pushover. If Grimmjow had any advantage, it was that he seemed to know Ulquiorra well, probably well enough to notice his handiwork. If Ichigo's hunches were correct (as they usually were), maybe going to this awards show would be a great chance to lure the bastard out where Ichigo could see him. Ichigo sighed, mentally waving the white flag, "Alright then, we'll go. I'm not going to enjoy it but I do want the chance to congratulate Rukia on her award."

Grimmjow nodded and pressed the button for ground level where his white Mercedes was parked. "But before any of that, you need a suit. I know a place not far from here that's not too pricey, and he's an old acquaintance so I should be able to push the prices a bit lower."

After the elevator doors opened into the luxurious slate-coloured foyer (Ichigo had to hand it to the makers of the apartment building, they did have style) and directly outside the large glass revolving-door was the familiar sight of Grimmjow's Mercedes. It was as shiny as ever. It surprised Ichigo when Grimmjow moved around to the driver's seat. "Where's your masked-chauffer?" Ichigo asked curiously as he opened the door to the passenger seat.

"Oh, he's taking a short break, didn't say why. Personal reasons probably." Grimmjow shrugged. He neglected to mention that he was the one who'd sent Ilfort away, the 'personal reasons' being a death threat for leaving Ichigo's side and leaving him vulnerable. Ilfort had, typically, told him to chill out but took advantage of the offered holiday anyway.

The moment the car was set into motion, Ichigo soon discovered why Grimmjow had a chauffer. His driving skills were impressive to say the least, but they had to be, seeing as the car was travelling at ridiculously fast speeds. The red traffic lights passed in a bright blur (for at least the third time). Ichigo stayed quiet mainly because every time he looked out the window, his stomach would heave hazardously. Silence enveloped the car with neither passenger wanting to strike up a conversation.

Luckily the drive was short and after what were probably only minutes, the car screeched to a halt. With as much poise as he could muster with his light-headedness, Ichigo exited the passenger seat with haste. "Just out of curiosity," He still managed to remark, fixating his gaze on a patch of ground, "How many times have you lost your driving licence?"

Grimmjow paused for a moment as if he was actually trying to add up the amount in his head.

As the pause lengthened, Ichigo held his hands up in defeat, "I get it. You're probably on a first-name basis with the traffic cops." Ichigo grimaced, hoping that his chauffer's holiday was a short one.

The corner of Grimmjow's mouth tweaked up for a second.

Once Ichigo's vertigo wasn't threatening to tip him over, Grimmjow gestured over to a large upper-class clothing store, "In here." It was a pristine white, two-storey building, squashed into what looked like a long winding street of designer brands and trendy fashions.

"I don't think I've ever been down here before in my life." Ichigo noted the exclusive aura that the street gave off.

"Clothing is clothing." Grimmjow shrugged. After giving the building a once over, he stepped up to the front entrance and lead Ichigo inside.

When Ichigo stepped through the door, he nearly went blind. Expensive gowns hung packet together on clothing racks, every stitch in the material gleaming under the white light. Walking past a jewellery cabinet, diamonds and pearls of all sizes glittered magnificently on everything from earrings to ankle bracelets. Grimmjow lead Ichigo past the women's sections and into a jungle of suits and polished shoes.

Ichigo decided that the best thing was to fold his arms tightly over his chest to avoid any unwanted contact with the clothing items. Some of the clothes were very nice looking, Ichigo had to admit, but they just didn't do it for him. He was actually a bit reluctant to try on fancy suits and the like because he was very sure that he would look ridiculous.

Passing near the changing rooms, Grimmjow's eye suddenly caught one of the employees as he walked up to them and his face spread into a grin, "Shawlong. I was hoping that you'd still be here."

The man that Grimmjow had spoken to was quite tall with tightly pulled back black hair that wound down the back of his neck in a plait ponytail. He fitted well into the style of the store wearing a white suit and a long measuring tape thrown over his shoulder. He instantaneously recognised the person before him but his solemn expression didn't change. "Grimmjow. It's been a while. You're here with good news I hope."

"If being paying customers means good news, then yes, good news." He pointed to Ichigo, "I need an outfit for me and him stat. Nothing fancy, just something nice."

Shawlong's eyes darted over to Ichigo for a split second before returning back to Grimmjow. "Yes, sir. This way."

He led the pair to the end of the change rooms to a very bland looking corner with a changing cubicle with silver double-doors. Grimmjow broke out into a grin, "Why Shawlong, you shouldn't have." He teased.

Ichigo didn't see the excitement. It had an extra door, so what? Whatever it was, Ichigo was going to find out when he stepped inside.

Shawlong disappeared for a moment and returned just as fast. "The room has been fitted the room with your sizes. Call me if you need me." He bowed his head slightly and left without another word.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "How does he know what size clothing I am? He had a measuring tape on him but he didn't use it once."

"All he needs to do is see you once and he knows it all. His optical skills are amazing." Grimmjow grinned, "Made him especially lethal when handling firearms."

"Hm," Ichigo stared off in the direction that Shawlong had walked away. He gulped hard, "Just where exactly do you know him from?"

Grimmjow thought about it, "I've known him since before he started working for me at Aizen Corp. I'll explain everything later on."

That comment sparked a memory. Ichigo snapped his fingers, "Actually, on the topic of explaining things, I thought we had a deal that you'd tell me how you knew me in the past."

Grimmjow paused. Ichigo watched as his eyes seemed to glaze over as memories tumbled through his head, memories which, to Ichigo's annoyance, he knew nothing about. "You were about ten I think, maybe even younger when I first met you. We got to know each other, but we knew nothing about each other, not even our names. You wouldn't know it but you were one of the main reasons I became a bodyguard."

Ichigo stared at him quizzically. "How?" He couldn't remember much from when he was a kid, aside from his mother's accident, so it wasn't surprising that he didn't remember Grimmjow at all. But he couldn't wrap his head around how he managed to forget someone who's appearance would stick out anywhere.

Grimmjow was reluctant to continue, "I'll tell you later, I promise."

Ichigo frowned. His promises meant very little to nothing to the redhead. But before Ichigo could say another word, Grimmjow disappeared into the changing room. As he stepped through the double-doors, Ichigo got a quick glimpse of inside – it was colourful.

Ichigo waited and waited and waited some more, then Grimmjow finally re-appeared after what seemed like an hour later fully suited up and ready to go.

He opened one of the doors to the changing cubicle and leaned against the frame, "Well, how do I look?"

Ichigo's eyes widened. "You, you look," For a moment, Ichigo had to remind himself that he was still looking at the same person. He was still the Grimmjow that Ichigo knew, but he was... "I dunno, _different_."

The suit that Grimmjow was wearing was jet black, as well as the shirt and vest he wore underneath it. They seemed to disappear into each other, if it wasn't for the long, slender blue tie that he wore that complimented his hair colour. It was like Grimmjow not to wear any white and Ichigo had to admit (but not out loud), he looked sizzling hot. Add in a pistol and he could've been the bad guy in a Bond film.

Grimmjow noticed the strange expression on Ichigo's face, "Different good or different bad?"

"I'm not sure yet." Ichigo admitted with a smile.

Smirking, Grimmjow stepped away from the door frame and Ichigo got another peak inside. There was a _lot_ of colour. "You're turn. Yours are on the left." He said and gestured towards the changing room.

Ichigo was very curious. So he walked into the changing cubicle and was amazed beyond words. It was no regular cubicle. The room was as long as a hallway and each side were packed with suits of every style; Black, white, navy, pinstripe and many more; they were all there. Above them were folded ties of every colour under the sun and on the ground were pair upon pair of shoes. Vests and trousers hung alongside the jackets. And every so often, there was a gap with a floor-length mirror for the pleasure of viewing the chosen outfit.

Now Ichigo knew why Grimmjow had taken so long. Just making one singular decision on anything would've been hard. There is such a thing as _too_ much variety and that was very true in this situation. When he slipped on the first set of clothing, it fitted perfectly. _So Grimmjow was right_, Ichigo thought, _His optical skills really are amazing_.

In the passing hour or so, Ichigo tried on every combination of clothing there. He was quick in picking the shirt and tie, but he spent most of the time deciding on what colour jacket. Ichigo was not very fashionable to say the least, so he decided against looking like stupid and decided against a vest. The simpler the better. Once he finally decided on the jacket he liked, hoping he didn't look too horrible, he stepped out of the cubicle.

Grimmjow's jaw actually dropped when he saw the redhead.

Ichigo's cheeks went pink. He coughed loudly, "Well? That bad?" He felt more than uncomfortable in the strange materials. Ichigo was wearing a dark grey shirt with a white tie. The jacket he had chosen was a silvery-slate grey with black buttons and trimming on his pockets. He looked very smart and amazingly, the grey didn't clash with the bright colours of his hair. They complimented each other well.

Grimmjow stood up, "Let's just say that it would be better if I didn't get too close to you, if you know what I mean."

Oh, Ichigo certainly did. His discomfort just got worse.

The both of them made their way to the cash counter and thankfully it was Shawlong behind the register. Just by looking at what they were wearing, he tallied the prices. After naming the amount, Ichigo brought out his cash card. The quantity of the money in that particular account flashed across the little card machine quickly and Ichigo frowned. He knew that most of his cash was locked away in trust funds, but shouldn't there be an extra zero on the end of that figure?

But Ichigo didn't have time to worry about that because when he looked out at the glass front doors of the store, his mouth almost fell open in shock. The sun was gone and street lamps were lit up outside. "_Shit_, just exactly how long have we been in here?"

Grimmjow stared at him for a moment, "From the look on your face, I'd say too long."

"Of all the things I could be late to, I have to be late to one of the most important ones!" Ichigo grumbled.

"We could try for being fashionably late?" Grimmjow remarked in a tone that would suggest that he didn't really care.

Ichigo threw a scowl his way. He still hadn't gone into the details about their apparent past, but now because of time reasons, Ichigo might not hear about it for a while. He was undoubtedly curious, but would now have to wait for another time to bring it up.

With their original clothes put into bags, the pair rushed back to the Mercedes with Grimmjow sliding across the bonnet and around into the driver's seat. Ichigo climbed back into the passengers seat threw the bags over his shoulder and into the back, "This time, I don't give a damn how many red lights you run through; Get me to the Seretei Awards now!"

"Yes, _sir,_" Grimmjow chuckled and slammed his foot down hard on the accelerator.

* * *

DRIVE, GRIMMY, DRIVE! Took me a while to figure out what they were going to wear, but thank god I have a thousand of my formal photos to use for references. Such handsome men :)

My gosh. It's dark outside already. I've found that I only ever get really into it when it's dark. I noticed that when I was drawing too, as soon as the sun went down, I was suddenly better. (*cough-nightspawn-cough*)

Haha, Comments and reviews will be used to make all the traffic lights go green! The Seretei festival is going to be great :D


	8. Feel Like a Million Bucks

**All For the Money, Honey: [Chapter 8: Feel Like a Million Bucks]**

**Pairing: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques x Ichigo Kurosaki**

**Rating: M **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters **

* * *

Ichigo closed his eyes. Breathe in, breathe out. The sounds of the crowd seeped through the cracks of the door and tugged at Ichigo, beckoning him outside. Even through closed eyelids, light shimmered over the darkness like fish rising and falling in a deep pond. On the other side of the car door was the Seretei Awards Ceremony. Ichigo gulped hard, not really wanting to get out of the safe sanctuary of the car. He placed his hand on the door and with a deep breath, opened his eyes and entered into the shinning unknown.

Grimmjow and Ichigo had made it to The Awards just in time with the help of some seriously appalling road safety and speed-limit slaughtering tactics which rendered Ichigo near scarred for life. But in the end, they got there.

Grimmjow stayed behind the wheel and turned to his employer, "I'll go park the car while you find Rukia Kuchiki. See you in a moment." When Ichigo had closed the car door behind him, he sped off.

Now Ichigo turned to face the Ceremony. Light blasted from every direction with the threat of blinding him and the volume of the din had increased ten-fold. A long red carpet wound its way through the crowd and journalists and cameramen clustered around the starts of the show. A video camera could never do the scene justice. It was alive and bright and nothing that Ichigo had ever seen before in his life.

Remembering that he did need to move, Ichigo tugged his lapel straight and began to walk. Like a model down the catwalk, the lights lit up every movement and made him shine. He could almost feel the camera lenses follow him and tried his best to ignore them. Not ten paces away stood Rukia surrounded by flashes and microphones. She looked amazing. She had opted for a black strapless dress with a touch of the Lolita style with large white bows running down her back and lace coating the bottom. She spotted Ichigo and her eyes widened in awe at his stylish appearance.

"Well Ichigo, you're just in time! Here, here." Rukia's smile was nearly as bright as the surrounding lights as she gestured to Ichigo to move over to where she was. When he reached her she pulled him into a loving hug. "Ooh, I almost thought that you weren't going to make it! The opening ceremony will start soon." She waved goodbye to the cameras, shook hands with the journalists and with Ichigo's arm in hers, she lead him into the awards theatre.

Other celebrities had taken to the seclusion of indoors where few camera crews were allowed access. The occasional television presenter was interviewing people in groups or presenting their programs. Ichigo was glad to get away from the flashing lights that brought the word 'seizure' to mind.

The interior of the building was all of a classic design with hanging red drapes and magnificently sculpted golden pillars and dazzling glass chandeliers. "Amazing isn't it." Rukia smiled when she noticed Ichigo looking around, "Such a place is like something out of a storybook."

"Yeah," Ichigo had to agree. "Oh, Rukia, before I forget, congratulations on getting an award. It's really great. You deserved it. And thanks for the invite."

"Why, Ichigo! It was such fun having you on my show so I just couldn't pass up an opportunity like that again. And you look absolutely _amazing_ by the way. Have you ever thought about working with TV yourself?" She put her hands to her lips in glee, "I'm so excited! I've never won anything in my entire life. When Renji told me the news-"

"Hey, where is Renji anyway?" Ichigo looked round the people.

"He's just over there. Renji!" She called.

A head of bright red hair came into Ichigo's vision. Renji walked briskly over, all smiles, "Ichigo! It's great to see you again. I hope you've been safe since-" His eyes stopped on something just over Ichigo's shoulder, "It's _you_!" He exclaimed.

Ichigo swivelled to see Grimmjow standing with his hands in his pockets looking quite contented and debonair. He grinned at Ichigo, "Told you I wouldn't be long."

"Ooh! Ichigo, who's this!" Rukia jumped up and down on the spot.

"This is Grimmjow Jeagerjaques," Ichigo gestured over to him, "He's my appointed bodyguard. Grimmjow, this is Rukia Kuchiki-"

He shook her hand and turned it up so he could kiss it lightly, "Pleasure to meet you."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. There was no need for such a gesture. "-And Renji Abarai."

Renji didn't look too happy with Grimmjow's intimacy with Rukia but managed nod and shook his hand, "I know. Looks like you got to Ichigo in time."

Ichigo realised that he was referring to the incident with Ulquiorra when he had called Renji and Grimmjow happened to be there and came to his rescue. That incident had pretty much been the conduit for Ichigo finally letting Grimmjow become his bodyguard. And he didn't even know where his bodyguard had been so that he'd run into Renji at that moment in time. Life is unexplainable like that.

"In time?" Grimmjow managed a short laugh, "Just. I never got to thank you for the ride. You were very helpful."

Renji shrugged off the compliment, "We just had similar concerns at the time."

"I'd like to think that anyone would be concerned when their friends are in danger..." Grimmjow continued chatting to Renji and they went off into their own conversation, one bodyguard of sorts to another.

Rukia took that time to tug on Ichigo's arm, "When Renji told me that you had a bodyguard, I didn't realise that you had such a scrumptious slab of eye-candy."

Ichigo bit his lip to stop himself from laughing at Rukia comparing Grimmjow with something from a candy store. Sweet and sugary was not Grimmjow's forte in any sense of the word. "I didn't hire him to look at him. He _does_ have a purpose, Rukia."

"But I heard from Renji that he saved you and watch, he'll look at you every now and then. Surely he's pining for you in a major way." Rukia gave Ichigo a leery look, "He's like your knight in shining armour!"

Like Rukia suggested, Ichigo observed him out of the corner of his eye and just like she said, Grimmjow couldn't keep his eyes off him. Ichigo fought away an oncoming blush, "Do you believe _every_ single thing Renji says? You're quite the model woman, Mrs. Abarai." He teased.

Rukia blushed up to her ears. "Just for that, I'm ignoring you." She huffed childishly and turned to Renji.

Seeing Ichigo's quick conversation come to an end, Grimmjow turned back to Ichigo. "Having fun?"

"Actually, it's more interesting than fun. Everything's better than I imagined. It's nice getting a glimpse at how the other half lives."

Grimmjow chuckled to himself, "I don't think you realise that you're part of the 'other half' too. And I must say that you do look the part. I've seen a few women give you thorough second glances."

To be honest, Ichigo hadn't noticed at all. He'd been too busy talking with Rukia to notice anything happening around him. Not that he was too concerned, but it meant something to him that Grimmjow had noticed those things. Not to mention that Grimmjow was also included with the list of woman that had been looking him up and down. He was probably the worst offender by far. Ichigo was about to say something when a timid voice called beside him.

"Kurosaki-kun?" He turned to see the familiar soft face of Orihime looking up at him curiously.

"Hey, Orihime!" Ichigo smiled, "You're here too?"

She smiled, glad that he was who she'd thought, "Y-yeah, I got an award for season's best single."

"Well congratulations to you too."

"Thank you," Orihime blushed vividly. Her eyes widened when she saw who was standing next to him. "O-oh, you're blue-haired-san. Hello again." She smiled as sweetly as she could, something that Ichigo thought as quite brave, considering that the last time she saw Grimmjow, he had Ichigo pinned in a very suggestive position. Scenes like that are hard to erase quickly.

"Hi..." Grimmjow's own facial expression was nothing like Orihime's. He instead looked deeply shocked to see her and his eyes were suddenly darting around them.

Ichigo elbowed him hard in the ribs, and whispered closely, "Quit doing that. If possible, I'd like her to get a better impression of you. The last one wasn't exactly flattering."

Grimmjow was seriously distracted and barely noticed that Ichigo had said anything at all, "Sorry, I'm just going to go and check something. You stay _right_ here. I'll be back." With that he swivelled through the crowd and disappeared.

Ichigo frowned. Just like Grimmjow to do that. He looked apologetically at her, "I'm sorry. He's always being strange."

"Is he your bodyguard now?" Orihime piped up.

"Yeah, we worked everything out and he's not so bad once you get used to him." Last time they'd talked about Grimmjow, Ichigo had been reluctant to find himself anywhere near the cerulean-haired man, but now... Now Ichigo didn't know what to think. "So," He shuffled uncomfortably, wanting to move the subject away from himself. "How've you been?"

"Oh, very good! I see Tatsuki-chan all the time and I get to see the others as well." Orihime did look generally happy. She looked glad to find someone that she knew at the Ceremony. She must've been very shy and timid, heavens knows how she'd reacted to all the cameras and journalists.

The two of them chatted for a while, mostly about Orihime's rising stardom and how hard it was to adapt to her high society lifestyle. Minus the fancy clothing and the grand theatre, it was just like old times when they'd sit with the others on the roof and talk amongst themselves. Ichigo could tell by the way that Orihime looked at him that she really missed those days.

As quickly as he'd disappeared, Grimmjow was back. Ichigo actually jumped when he finally noticed the taller man beside him. It struck him as odd that Grimmjow was no longer smiling. He was still calm and collected like before, but this wasn't a comfortable calm, it was more like the calm before the storm. Something was wrong. "What, what is it?" Ichigo was immediately alert.

"We need to move. Now." Grimmjow put his hand on Ichigo's waist and began to whisk him away from his friends. Orihime looked worried as Ichigo was getting tugged away.

"Hey! You could've at least let me say goodbye!" Ichigo tried to remove Grimmjow's hand from his waist, but he just gripped harder as they snaked through the crowd of people. Because the opening ceremony was very soon, the room was more packed now as everyone started coming in, making it harder for the pair to depart from the main theatre. Despite this, Grimmjow didn't stop in fact until they were in an entirely deserted side hall. It was quiet and not as well lit as the main part of the theatre.

Ichigo frowned. "Would it kill you to tell me what's going on?" And from the way that Grimmjow was acting, there had better be some serious reason for it. He hadn't been keen on going to the awards in the first place so the interruption when he'd just started to think that it wasn't all that bad was not at all welcomed.

"It's too exposed out there. Could get spotted easily." Grimmjow said out loud in a way that sounded like he was talking to himself. He was barely even registering that Ichigo had said anything. Whatever was going on had him on high alert. From what, Ichigo hadn't a clue.

With Grimmjow still not explaining his strange behaviour, Ichigo was suddenly questioning his intentions for dragging him away. In fact, he still hadn't remembered to remove his hand from around Ichigo's waist. His arm pressed along his back and if Ichigo stuck his elbow out, it would've hit his chest. Realising the closeness of their proximity didn't make Ichigo feel any better. His memory pulled forth one of Grimmjow's earlier comments; hadn't it gone somewhere along the lines of it would be better for his self control if Ichigo stayed out of arms reach?

Unwanted mental images automatically drifted through his mental processing and Ichigo was suddenly glad that the room wasn't as well lit or else his light blushing would've been noticed. Not that Grimmjow seemed to be paying him any attention anyway.

"Hey," Ichigo elbowed him softly in the ribs, "Explain yourself. Why did you drag me out here?" There has to be a logical reason for his actions, surely, Ichigo reasoned.

"Ulquiorra is here."

Ichigo's eyes widened, "What? Here?"

"Yeah, when I left you with the blushing Orihime Inoue, I found him. Though luckily, he didn't see me." Grimmjow raised an eyebrow, "Why, what did you think I was doing?"

"Um, well..." Ichigo refused to speak anything more than that. And going by the blush on his cheeks that were rapidly darkening, it was plainly obvious what Ichigo thought.

An amused grin slowly played across Grimmjow's face, "You thought I dragged you out here with ulterior motives, didn't you? Tsk tsk, Ichigo. Now you're just giving me ideas." Grimmjow tightened the arm around his waist in so that their bodies were just touching.

Ichigo's breath hitched in his chest. He dared not look away from the cerulean-haired bodyguard lest he closed those last few inches to his mouth. It was hard to escape those mental pictures and Ichigo bit his lip.

There was something about the way that Ichigo was looking at him that made Grimmjow chuckle and bring his other hand around to tilt up his chin, "That, is a face that I haven't seen before. Looks good on you." He brought his face closer slowly so that he could look into the deep brown of Ichigo's eyes for longer. And then, Grimmjow's lips grazed lightly against Ichigo's own before covering them completely.

With that single sensual contact, Ichigo couldn't help but lean into it to deepen the kiss. Their mouths moved together and Grimmjow embraced Ichigo by pulling him in even closer and putting his leg in between Ichigo's own. Ulquiorra seemed to be forgotten entirely as the pair opened their mouths between breaths and their tongues joined the fray. Air was taken in quick breaths as they both fought for dominance, but with power and experience on his side, Grimmjow won out in the end, but boy did Ichigo make him work for it. The taste of him was giving Ichigo such a rush that he almost missed it when he heard a loud girly squeal from behind him.

It was Rukia. Ichigo regrettably tore his lips off Grimmjow's when he noticed the presence of a certain short, black-haired television show host. She was peering oh-so suspiciously around the corner and to Ichigo's annoyance, she looked like she was thoroughly enjoying the view. Who knows how long she'd been there. Hopefully if going by the squeal, she had only just walked in on them.

"Rukia," Grimmjow didn't sound happy at the interruption, unsurprisingly. "What's your business here?"

"Oh, well I was looking for you guys and just happened to stumble onto your little... Scene there." She bit back another squeal as she remembered what she'd just walked in on.

Grimmjow was far from impressed. "Give me _one_ good reason not to kick your skinny ass back around that corner," he growled.

The threat sobered Rukia up enough to stop her from making another lewd comment. Instead, she directed her gaze at Ichigo and fed her silent remarks to him with a promise that she would get an explanation out of him eventually.

Ichigo did his best to glare back at her, which would've worked a lot better if he wasn't blushing like a schoolgirl. He was just realising what he had just taken part in. It wasn't like he hadn't been kissed before, but kissing Grimmjow; he'd enjoyed it a lot more than he would've thought - or would care to admit yet. He watched Grimmjow as he continued to stare down the short trivia host. Maybe it was because he was a little short on breath but he swore that his heart was beating faster than before.

Suddenly, a loud rumble from elsewhere in the building broke through the silence. It was the all too familiar sound that something bad was going to happen and it tugged Ichigo out of his syrupy thoughts and back into reality.

"What was that?" Grimmjow finally said what Ichigo was thinking. The spat was forgotten and the trio were suddenly on guard again. Ichigo looked at his bodyguard and they exchanged a knowing glance – it was Ulquiorra. It had to be.

"I-I don't know." Rukia's eyes darted around and she was suddenly frightened.

As if an answer to Grimmjow's question, another loud rumble sounded but this time, the floor shook ever so slightly. Dust was shaken loose from the roof and fluttered down to the floor. This was definitely bad news indeed. It seemed that the quake had been worse in the main hall because the shrill screams of the women and outcries of the men made their way down to the secluded corridor that the trio were currently occupying.

Out of the blue, Grimmjow loudly stated; "I know where he is."

Rukia was confused. "What? Who? Ichigo what's going on?"

Ichigo held a hand up to shut her up and looked Grimmjow straight in the eye, "How do you know that?"

The taller man shook his head in wonder, "I can't believe I didn't think of it before – It's so like that prick to do something like that."

Grimmjow's vagueness wasn't making Ichigo feel any better. The floor trembled once more and Rukia actually reached out to grab Ichigo's arm. He flinched - her grip was like a vice. "Well if you're so sure you know where he is, then let's get going."

"-No." Grimmjow said, his seriousness surprising the redhead. "You're his target and I would be failing to perform my duties as your bodyguard if I let you follow me."

Ichigo raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "You don't seriously believe saying that will stop me, do you?"

"Not really, but it was worth a shot." He tugged Ichigo out of Rukia's firm grip and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before winking at him, "and besides, we can't continue where we left off if you're dead. Stay. With Rukia."

Ichigo scowled and his cheeks were stained pink again. Grimmjow's logic was as twisted as ever. _Stay?_ What was he, a show dog? Oh no, Grimmjow wasn't getting rid of him that easily. "Sorry, Rukia. You go back, find Renji and make sure everything is okay. Leave this to us." Before Rukia could say anything, he straightened his tie, rolled up his sleeves and bolted after his cerulean bodyguard. After all, Ichigo had a few favours of his own to return.

* * *

Go Ichigo! Pft, what the heck is Grimmjow thinking? Like hell he could ever keep Ichigo away from the fight. And finally - a kiss! Took them long enough. I know Ichigo still doesn't sound entirely willing, but I swear all of his thoughts will be explained soon enough.

New year was great, I hope you all had as much fun as I did. I was at a friend's family's party and we danced for hours! It's 2011 everyone! It'll take me a while to get used to that...

Comments and reviews will be used to help Grimmjow and Ichigo defeat Ulquiorra's dastardly plot!


	9. Pay Up

**All For the Money, Honey: [Chapter 9: Pay Up]**

**Pairing: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques x Ichigo Kurosaki**

**Rating: M**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (as much as I wish I did)**

* * *

While Ichigo was running down the hallways and cursing himself for giving his bodyguard such a head-start, further up ahead, Grimmjow was on a mission. Like a wolf hunting a scent, he rushed along the corridors in search of a way to get down to the lowest level of the building. He had the luck of passing a floor plan on his left and skidded to a halt. The floor plan showed the layout of every level in the building, including lines for the walls, doors, emergency exits and even labelling the different rooms. Grimmjow couldn't help but smirk. Whoever had authorised this floor plan obviously hadn't factored in that such details would easily lead even the most incompetent thief to their destination. Luckily for the theatre employees, Grimmjow wasn't here to steal.

His eyes quickly scanned over the plan and the lowest level shown was a large open space labelled at the storage room. It was directly under the main stage. This was where Grimmjow knew he was certain to find Ulquiorra. Knowing exactly where to find him, Grimmjow continued on his path as quickly as possible, wondering what Ulquiorra was up to. The slithery bastard was always very precise in choosing his locations and by being directly under the stage, he would be able to know exactly when to start wrecking havoc – or when _not_ to, especially if he didn't want to interfere with a certain singer's award presentation.

Grimmjow still found himself unable to wrap his head around the idea of Ulquiorra showing some kind of positive emotions towards anyone, least of all a pretty, young girl. If the situation turned out well, he was tempted to investigate just what this Orihime Inoue had done to change such a cold character. But even with this new influence, Ulquiorra was still acting a bit too out of character. This thought stuck out in Grimmjow's mind for one reason; Ulquiorra was using explosive materials.

Ulquiorra had never been the ostentatious type to blow a hole in a building – something like that was actually more Grimmjow's style. The cerulean paused and suddenly, everything seemed just a little clearer. What better way to challenge your adversary than to use his favourite means of pandemonium? He couldn't help but feel a little flattered by the copy-cat style, but he knew that this time, Ulquiorra was only using him to get to Ichigo. But as if Grimmjow was going to let him do that.

Grimmjow continued down another flight of stairs and into another hallway, getting closer and closer to the room under the stage. Even without knowing where he was, it was plainly obvious that he was getting further and further away from the main halls of the theatre complex. His surroundings were slowly beginning to change from the pristine white and gold walls to a dusty grey texture that rarely ever saw the light of day. Down here, Grimmjow's formal attire suddenly looked out of place.

Suddenly, quick paced footfalls of someone on the floor above reverberated overhead. Grimmjow reflexively looked up. He had no doubt that it was Ichigo hot on his tail. Grimmjow hadn't actually known if Ichigo had run after him or not, so he frowned at the confirmation. There was a small part of him that hoped that Ichigo hadn't followed him, but he knew Ichigo enough to know that he would've wanted to be a part of this fight no matter what.

Grimmjow kicked up the speed to a light run, the layout of the building running through his mind as he passed deeper and deeper into the foundations of the building. A small part of him wondered if he'd taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way; it would've been easy, and the terrible lighting made navigating his way through this concrete maze all the more difficult. As if answering his doubts, he turned a corner and noticed a slit of strong light shining out from the bottom of one of the doors. Grimmjow inhaled slowly as he opened the door, almost sensing that Ulquiorra was on the other side.

Behind the door was a large storage room, filled with boxes and stage equipment gathered in tall piles. He quickly hid himself behind one of these piles, hoping that Ulquiorra hadn't noticed his entrance. Staying low, Grimmjow moved through the maze until he paused before a small clearing. Plastic explosives attached to various foundations immediately caught his eye; they were small square mounds of C4 with basic detonation pads pressed into the plastic. He could see a few foundations that already had some serious chunks blown out of them, obviously the cause of the earlier tremors. The explosives were too small to cause anything worse than a bit of floor-shaking on their own, but if they were all detonated at once, Grimmjow had no doubt that it would bring the roof down around them, and the stage above it.

At the other side of the space was Ulquiorra. He was turned at an angle where Grimmjow was just out of vision, which wasn't helped by the mobile phone pressed to his ear. His lips were moving rapidly but he was speaking too low for Grimmjow to understand what he was saying from that distance away.

If Grimmjow could manage to get closer and remain unseen, it would a perfect opportunity to attack while Ulquiorra's guard was down, but the cerulean didn't think it was right to sneak around. This fight was a personal one and Grimmjow wanted the pleasure of staring Ulquiorra down face-to-face. And besides, even if Ulquiorra's guard _was_ down, it didn't mean that his reflexes wouldn't be just as fast.

Eager to make his presence known, Grimmjow stepped out from the clusters of equipment and walked slowly towards Ulquiorra, "Couldn't you have waited another hour to start causing trouble? I was just beginning to enjoy myself."

As he predicted, Ulquiorra instantly turned around to the source of the noise. His snake-like eyes sent unwelcomed chills down Grimmjow's spine as they found and focused on him. He didn't show any signs of being surprised - not that Grimmjow had expected there to be any – but he abruptly terminated his phone call, giving the cerulean his full attention. "I didn't know you were attending this event."

"Bullshit. You knew Ichigo had been invited, so I highly doubt you would've neglected to think that I would be arriving too."

Ulquiorra looked around to the sides of him, obviously expecting Ichigo to be somewhere behind him. When he didn't see the redhead appear, he turned his eyes back to Grimmjow, "Speaking of Ichigo, where is he?"

"He's on his way." Grimmjow smirked, "I think he wants to get back at you for being locked in the boot of your car. But he'll have to wait, because _I'm _first in line to take a hit at you." He stared Ulquiorra down with eyes that promised to make him bleed. With no Aizen around to interrupt an impending fray, _this_, Grimmjow thought, _is going to be fun._

There was a tense silence as Ulquiorra was quietly deciding whether or not to accept the challenge. Unlike the man standing before him, he wasn't especially violent or easy to provoke so he saw nothing wrong with walking away from a fight. So when Ulquiorra's feet shifted into a fighting stance, Grimmjow couldn't help but clench his fist with satisfaction.

There was almost an unspoken formality that both had agreed on as they all-too calmly walked towards each other; it was a showdown minus the guns. When the enemies were within a reasonable distance of each other, Grimmjow made the first move with a basic but sturdy punch aimed for Ulquiorra's face with the intent to break it.

While in the close proximity, Ulquiorra struck out with the back of his fist, which Grimmjow blocked by grabbing onto his forearm and twisting it in the attempt to throw him off balance. The material of Ulquiorra's jacket was deliberately low-frictional and he skilfully pulled himself out of Grimmjow's grip by moving with the twist and side-flipping back just out of arms reach.

Cursing the sleek material, Grimmjow paused to examine any other possible tricks that the slithery opponent could have weaved into his attire. Ulquiorra was wearing a single-breasted black jacket, a white pinstriped shirt and a dark green cross-stripe tie. The stipes blended well with the tear-like tattoos that stretched down his cheeks. Grimmjow raised a half-interested eyebrow, "Despite that revolting personality of yours, I must admit you do have nice taste in clothing."

Ulquiorra took the chance to quickly scan the cerulean over, "I could say the same thing about you."

Grimmjow dipped his head briefly in mock gratitude. He then quickly stepped in and swung a lower punch at Ulquiorra's gut.

Ulquiorra swerved out of the way and aimed an open-handed hit at the bundle of nerves at the base of the cerulean's neck. Connecting a strong enough hit there would almost definitely ensure a win for the slithery bodyguard.

But Grimmjow predicted the move and blocked it just in time with his forearm. The pair continued to exchange blows and it wasn't before long that both were sporting their own little aches and bruises. As the two stood still for a moment to catch their breath, something suddenly occurred to Grimmjow, "... You really hate Ichigo don't you?"

"What?"

Grimmjow smirked like it was Ulquiorra's dirty little secret, "You're usually so content to attack from the shadows, but not this time; Ichigo's done something to make you hate him. Something to do with Miss Orihime Inoue perhaps?"

Ulquiorra narrowed his cold green eyes, "My reasons have nothing to do with you. And you're giving me too much credit for all this; our employer can suggest very creative ideas when he's in the right mood."

Grimmjow's eye's widened, "... _Aizen_," he growled. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up instinctively. He should've known that Aizen was somehow involved in this. Once Aizen was interested in something, he almost always got what he wanted in the end, though Ichigo was one thing that Grimmjow wasn't exactly fond on giving up. Maybe his efforts thus far to dissuade Aizen's interests needed to be stepped up a notch.

"Aizen is wondering about you, Grimmjow." Ulquiorra's eyes were as dead-pan as usual. "He's curious about your attachment to Ichigo."

"Well I'd rather Aizen get off his golden throne and ask me himself." Grimmjow growled and struck out his elbow to hit him in the chin, but Ulquiorra moved back just in time. He continued the movement and used the momentum to push his other arm forwards with a punch. Ulquiorra moved back again.

'_Punch' –miss,' punch' –miss, 'punch' –miss_, Ulquiorra was slowly being pushed backwards towards a sturdy pile of wooden stage props. And instead of punching out for the fourth consecutive time, Grimmjow kicked out, planting the heel of his foot into Ulquiorra's abdomen.

The hit sent Ulquiorra into the wooden prop pile. He braced himself for the impact to lessen the damage, but he was still moderately winded. However, it was a fleeting sensation and Ulquiorra was stable within moments.

Grimmjow was readying himself to throw another hit at Ulquiorra, but paused. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he thought he saw a quick flare of orange in the corner of his eye. When he spotted the orange flash again, he realized that Ichigo had finally caught up with him. Ichigo, looking mighty fine in his suit, suddenly appeared out of the background and into the fray.

Grimmjow had to give it to him, the kid was _fast_. Before Ulquiorra had time to react to the sudden change of events, Ichigo powered forwards and dealt him with a solid punch to the jaw.

Ulquiorra's head rolled with the hit, sending a mixture of blood and spittle onto the floor. He clutched at his jaw and was relieved when he could tell that nothing was broken. Glaring at Ichigo, Ulquiorra swung the back of his fist out at him, but Grimmjow grabbed the redhead by the arm and tugged him out of the way.

Ichigo looked over his shoulder at Grimmjow, "... Thanks."

Grimmjow's grip tightened on his arm, "I want you out of here."

Ichigo blinked at the sudden aggression before moving his expression into a frown. "No way. This guy has given me nothing but trouble for the past few weeks and I'm here to give him the beating he deserves."

"Good Evening, Ichigo," Ulquiorra greeted the redhead with the usual lack of emotion. "Nice of you to join us."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed upon the pale bodyguard. He looked just the way he remembered him; tear-like tattoos, black hair, and those poisonous-green eyes. "I hope I broke the boot of your car, you emo asshole."

It struck Grimmjow that this was probably the first time that Ichigo had seen Ulquiorra since he'd been drugged.

Ulquiorra didn't even blink at Ichigo's hostility. "Only minor external damage. I was going to let you out eventually, you know. I was planning on introducing you to my employer."

Ichigo tried to lunge forwards, but Grimmjow held fast to his arm. "Let me go!" Ichigo hissed.

"You're not fighting, you're _leaving._" Grimmjow hissed back. He didn't like where the conversation was going.

"And I never got to congratulate you on your big win, Ichigo. So much money; you could buy a car, go on holiday, invest in stock, pay off debts even." His gaze flicked over to Grimmjow.

The cerulean was visibly disgruntled, but Ichigo didn't notice. "What I do with my money is none of your damn concern."

Luckily the redhead didn't realise it, but Ulquiorra was hinting to things that Ichigo didn't know about his bodyguard, things that Grimmjow hoped he would never know. The urgency for Grimmjow to get the kid the heck out of there was steadily getting a lot higher. But Ichigo wasn't going to leave without a good enough reason; he looked almost bent on making Ulquiorra pay for what he'd put him through. Although he'd probably get an earful about it later, Grimmjow decided that he had to get Ichigo as far away from Ulquiorra as possible.

Grimmjow tugged Ichigo closer so that he could whisper into his ear the first thing that came to mind, "Look, Orihime's in danger. There's another explosive in her handbag and it could go off at any moment." He watched the redhead's eyes widen at this new information. He felt a twinge of guilt for telling such a drastic lie, but the twinge was short lived. "That's why I need you to find her _right now_."

Ichigo didn't need any more incentive than that. As much as it pained him to leave Ulquiorra still standing, but keeping Orihime safe was a higher priority. He nodded, Grimmjow finally let go of his arm and he ran towards the door. Ulquiorra moved to stop him, but the cerulean swung a punch at him, forcing him to stop and block it. Grimmjow threw in a few more blows to keep him busy, making sure to keep himself positioned between Ulquiorra and the exit.

Ichigo reached the door but paused. A large part of him wanted to stay and fight Ulquiorra, but when he thought about Orihime being put into danger, she immediately took priority whether he liked it or not. He took one more look at Grimmjow and disappeared through the door.

Ulquiorra's brows furrowed momentarily after Ichigo disappeared from sight. "You lied to get Ichigo out of the way."

"I had to. He doesn't know anything and I plan to keep it that way. Besides, I still have a score to settle with you. And if I remember correctly, I promised myself that I would shoot you in the knees, but seeing as I don't have a gun I'll just have to improvise." Grimmjow grinned maliciously.

Scowling this time at Grimmjow, Ulquiorra shifted himself back into fighting stance, "Get out of my way."

"Where's the fun in that?" He sneered and balled his hands back into fists.

Ulquiorra took the offensive and came at Grimmjow with a roundhouse kick to the ribs. The cerulean blocked the kick and thrust the palm of his hand into the underside of Ulquiorra's leg joint. The hit was strong enough to potentially break the joint.

A quiet gasp of pain managed to escape the Ulquiorra's lips as he pulled back. He stumbled away a little as he tried to maintain stability. He attempted to fully straighten his leg but when he applied a fraction of his weight onto it, he recoiled from pain. He swung his leg back and forth, testing the joint. Ulquiorra looked up at Grimmjow, somehow managing to not look utterly ridiculous as he opted to balance on his remaining leg, "... Well, it didn't break my knee."

"Don't rush me," Grimmjow chuckled darkly, "Just changing the odds in my favour."

"This changes nothing."Instead of trying to throw in another hit, Grimmjow was surprised when Ulquiorra reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out what looked like a fancy car remote. He firmly pressed a button on the left.

It wasn't until Grimmjow heard a rapid beeping high above him that he realised what the remote was for. But it was too late by then. Ulquiorra quickly hopped behind the pile of wooden stage equipment but Grimmjow was basically a sitting duck when the C4 above him detonated.

* * *

KABOOOM! D': What happens next!

This... took waaaay too long to write. There was so much I was trying to fit in that I eventually had to split the content into two chapters. And I knooowww it's been ages since I last updated and I have multiple reasons believe me, but in the end, they're pretty much just excuses so I won't bother you with them. I tried to balance out the fighting and talking (something which I find very hard) and I hope my fight scenes aren't too ridiculous, haha.

ENJOY! And sorry for the lag!

Comments and reviews will be used to protect Grimmjow's scrumptious body from those nasty explosives!


	10. Split the Bill

**-All For the Money, Honey: [Chapter 10: Split the Bill]-**

**Pairing: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques x Ichigo Kurosaki**

**Rating: M**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (The wonderful Mr. Kubo does)**

* * *

A thick cloud of concrete dust blasted past Ulquiorra after the almighty _BOOM_ of the plastic explosive detonating. The air around him had seemed to ripple from a slight shockwave. Curious to see what had happened to his opponent, Ulquiorra hobbled back out from behind the stockpile, his eyes searching for any signs of movement. The top of the pillar was all but gone and was now littered across the ground in chunks of rubble, but no sign of Grimmjow.

There was a sudden loud cough from Ulquiorra's far right and slowly but surely, he saw the cerulean rise from the ground practically covered head to toe in bits of rubble and concrete dust.

Grimmjow winced as pain shot up the side of his left ribcage. When the bomb had blown, he'd been hit by a decent sized chunk of the roof as he'd dived to the side. There was the chance that he'd probably cracked something, but at this point he couldn't assess the damage. Once he spotted Ulquiorra watching him intently, he glared back at him. "That was a fucking cheap shot." He coughed again as dusty air filled his lungs.

"That's payback for my leg." Ulquiorra reasoned.

Grimmjow swept the back of his hand over his shoulder and cloud of dust wafted away. The corner of his lip curled up in agitation as he muttered, "Do you have any fucking idea how much this suit cost?"

Ulquiorra didn't respond. He tested his weight on his leg but still flinched from the pain. Fighting Grimmjow in this condition was going to be difficult, but not impossible. He put his injured foot back down onto the ground and once again, he felt the pain shoot up his body, but he bit his lip and ignored it.

When Ulquiorra came running at him, Grimmjow moved back into a fighting stance, telling himself that if the emo bastard was going to go all out, then he might as well do the same.

The pair connected again with a flurry of blows and Grimmjow's injuries slowly became clear to Ulquiorra; his punches from his left were much weaker than before and he avoided a lot of higher arm movement. Ulquiorra tried his best to aim for the ribcage region, but the cerulean did a good job of defending himself from such attacks.

Grimmjow's main offence was trying to knock Ulquiorra off balance, but it was much easier said than done. The man was quite lithe and seemed determined not to let his leg hinder him. With every step onto his injured leg, Grimmjow wondered just how much it hurt. But he would never find out from expression alone; his face remained as emotionless as usual.

Immense willpower can help overcome the pain, but Grimmjow also had to worry about the swelling and bruising. The one problem with injuring his ribcage was that contained the most of the vital organs. Ulquiorra was at a slight advantage as the cerulean's breathing was suddenly coming out much raspier.

"You should know your limits, Grimmjow." Ulquiorra commented as he swung a karate chop at his opponent's shoulder.

Grimmjow blocked it and growled, "I've withstood _much_ worse than this, you prick."

Ulquiorra could see the blood darkening the back of the cerulean's jacket and how the patch was slowly growing as they continued to fight. "Not much longer now. And once I'm finished with you, Ichigo will suffer the same fate."

Grimmjow couldn't help but chuckle darkly. "It would put a damper on any feeling she might have for you if try to hurt him." He punched forwards and it connected with the other bodyguard's shoulder.

Ulquiorra winced, but moved with the momentum and spun around. "When I first found out that she liked him, I couldn't believe it. Even right now, I have no idea what she see's in him. But _you_ liking him I can understand; garbage belongs with garbage. You're both just _trash!_" He swung his leg around with a high roundhouse kick that only just connected with the ceruleans jaw.

"I don't know what crazy ideas you have about Ichigo and that girl, but she's just going to have to do without because I'm not giving him up to _anyone_." Grimmjow licked the corner of his mouth, and he could instantly taste the coppery tang of his own blood. "Now shut the fuck up and stand still so I can kill you."

-xxxxx-

Once Ichigo had disappeared out of the door, he'd made short work of the stairs leading back into the main hall. When he got there, security had kicked in and were calmly leading the guests out of the building in an orderly fashion. Panic was written all over the faces of the celebrities, but for the television crews, this was ratings gold.

Ichigo was suddenly grabbed on the arm by a frantic Rukia. "Ichigo! What the hell's going on? Dammit, if only Renji had brought a camera with him."

Renji appeared behind the short show host, "I didn't need to. Your brother is probably outside this building right now documenting everything."

Despite that, both Ichigo and Renji knew that Rukia was itching to be put behind a camera.

Ichigo pulled her had off of his arm. "You two should go with the security, at least outside you'll be-"

Rukia cut him off, "No way, the real story is in here and I _know_ that you know what's going on in here so you better-"

The ground suddenly rumbled again and Ichigo's eyes widened. Ulquiorra had undoubtedly set off another explosive. He worried for his cerulean bodyguard's health and more importantly, Orihime's. She could easily be next. The redhead looked around worriedly, "have you seen Inoue anywhere?"

Renji answered, "She's over in the corner," and pointed in the direction of the doors that led into the theatre seating.

Before Rukia could grab at Ichigo again, he snaked through the slowly moving crowd until he spotted her leaning against a wall.

She saw Ichigo hurry forwards and in a shocking move, he grabbed her purse right out of her hands and rifled through it. "K-Kurosaki-kun?" She said, more worried than frightened.

Ichigo didn't respond but once he'd searched the bag's contents and found no trace of anything explosive, a weight was lifted off of his shoulders. He sighed. "Sorry Inoue, I didn't mean to scare you. I was told that the guy we're fighting put something dangerous in your bag."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Fighting? Please don't get hurt. Should I call the police or-"

"-No. This is personal. This guy, Ulquiorra, attacked me when-"

Orihime covered her hands over her mouth in shock. "_U-Ulquiorra_?"

Now it was Ichigo's turn to look surprised, "wait, you _know_ him?"

"H-he's the bodyguard I was telling you about. Ulquiorra Cifer is _my_ bodyguard."

Ichigo reeled as everything suddenly made more sense. Orihime being called away from the shopping centre then him getting attacked while alone, the ease at which Grimmjow scared off the henchmen at his house and his questionable familiarity with Ulquiorra. Orihime herself had said she had a bodyguard from Aizen Corp. but Ichigo had never questioned it further. Grimmjow probably already knew all of this but had never opted to tell the redhead.

Ichigo looked down at Orihime's bag. It was becoming more and more obvious that Grimmjow had been lying about bomb just to get him out of the fray. Before he could even gather the energy to be angry at his bodyguard, Orihime grabbed at his sleeve. She was practically on the verge of tears.

"Where is he?" She said, "There must be some kind of misunderstanding, he's not a bad person."

Ichigo blinked. He couldn't help but think, _if that were true, then why the hell is he so out to get me?_

Although it crossed Ichigo's mind to tell her to stay here, there was a determination in her eyes that told him that there was no way he could stop her from following him. So to avoid a pointless argument, Ichigo sighed, "follow me."

Her hand never left his arm as they took the trip back down to the storage room under the theatre stage. Her grip tightened as they progressed further into the dank and darkness. When Orihime swung open the storage door, Ichigo made a quick grab for her, lest she runs ahead to save Ulquiorra. But surprisingly, she didn't even try it. It was easy to see that she desperately wanted to, but she knew that she couldn't. She put her arms around herself to almost physically stop herself from rushing to his aid.

Ichigo slowly lead her through the vast stock piles until they came upon the fighting bodyguards. For Orihime, it was probably a very confronting sight. The bodyguard's were doing their best to inflict as much damage on the other as possible. Every hit was so quickly dealt that Ichigo was almost struggling to keep up watching it.

Ulquiorra's gaze happened to pass over where Ichigo and Orihime were partially hiding and the accidental pause that followed gave Grimmjow the opening he needed to deal a powerful punch to his opponent's face. The force knocked Ulquiorra off his feet and onto the ground with a dull '_THUMP'_.

"_NO!_" Orihime cried and rushed forwards before Ichigo could stop her. She brazenly ran overand draped herself over Ulquiorra, her white dress spread wide like a protective cover.

Grimmjow looked down at her and exhaled sharply. If it were any random chick, he wouldn't have thought twice about pushing her aside, but this Orihime girl was too pitiful for him to even bother. Or so he told himself. "Get up. There's no need for that. Our fight is over."

It was plainly obvious from her expression that she didn't trust him, which was understandable since she'd never been given any incentive to. Without even turning her head, she called out to Ichigo, "Kurosaki-kun, could you come over here, please!"

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow and mouthed '_do nothing'_ which the cerulean then replied with a half-assed nod. He walked slowly over to Orihime and saw that she was delicately inspecting him, tears now overflowing and dripping onto Ulquiorra's dirtied suit.

"I-is he okay?"

Ulquiorra's brow furrowed and a low grumble escaped his lips. "... I'm not dead."

Orihime leapt up off of him immediately with a gasp of joy. She helped him up from the ground but when Ulquiorra's eyes met with Grimmjow's, he pulled her behind him protectively. He looked intent on continuing their fight, but Orihime was having none of it.

"No, please stop!" She stepped in front with her arms out wide, blocking his view of the cerulean. "Why are you doing this?"

"I... I have my own reasons." Ulquiorra said flatly.

Orihime wasn't taking her time in getting teary again, "But I care about you too much to see you get hurt. Please, stop this!"

"Nonsense. As a bodyguard I am always-"

In a shocking move, Orihime suddenly slapped Ulquiorra across the face. The sound echoed loudly through the storage room. Ichigo's mouth nearly fell open with surprise. What had happened to the timid girl he knew at school?

"W-when you get hurt, _I'm_ hurt." She lightly placed her hand on his face where she'd hit him. "I... I love you."

Ulquiorra's eyes widened dramatically. Grimmjow had never seen the man look so surprised. "But you... towards Ichigo..."

Orihime shot Ichigo a sad look, "I'm sorry, Ichigo. You're a good person too, but I've come to care for him more."

"... _Whuh?_"

Grimmjow glanced over at Ichigo and had to fight back a laugh that would have probably done some extra damage to his ribs. Ichigo was utterly dumbstruck with his mouth hanging wide open.

Ulquiorra looked down at the ground. He spoke so softly that Grimmjow barely heard it, "Aren't you frightened of me?"

She smiled, "... I'm not afraid." Orihime removed her hand from his cheek and held it out, palm up.

Ulquiorra looked at it, raised his hand and after a moment's hesitation placed it onto hers. Their fingers curled tightly together.

Grimmjow grimaced. "Alright, Ichigo. Time to leave." He grabbed the redhead by the arm as he left and dragged him out the door.

Ichigo quickly emerged from his stupor. "Wha- Where are we going? I still want to give that guy a piece of my mind."

"Don't get me wrong, I still want to beat the living shit out of him, but I'd prefer to do it some other time when he isn't schmoozing up with that ginger chick." That was a side of Ulquiorra that Grimmjow hoped to see as little of as possible.

"...True." When the cerulean suddenly stumbled a little, Ichigo put his hand on his lower back to steady him. When he removed it, he was horrified to see that it was coated with red. Because Grimmjow's jacket was so dark in colour, it wasn't surprising that he hadn't seen it earlier. "_Shit!_ Are you okay? What happened?"

"The bastard tried to take me out with one of the bombs. I got hit with some of the roof." Grimmjow rounded the corner and was met with the beginning of the stairs.

Ichigo recalled hearing the explosion earlier and growled, "That _motherfucker_..."He moved to turn back but Grimmjow grabbed his shoulder.

"I wouldn't do that. I'm not actually sure how much blood I've lost and I could pass out at any moment." Grimmjow sniffed.

Ichigo threw him a disbelieving look. "Ok, you should _not _be walking around. Just stay here and we'll need to get some paramedics-"

"-Nah, I'll be fine." Grimmjow then proceeded to walk up the stairs briskly.

The redhead shook his head with a frown. _Crazy bastard, _he thought.

The pair made it up a couple of flights of stairs and the walls of the building were beginning to look much cleaner and bright once again as they moved back towards the main hall. The hall was now entirely empty of people but like the short bloodhound she was, Rukia managed to appear out of nowhere.

"Ichigo! There you are!"

"Not right now, Rukia." Ichigo pointed at Grimmjow. "This guy needs medical attention."

She saw how serious the redhead was and kindly switched off her journalist-mode. "Do you need any help getting to the medics?"

Grimmjow shook his head. "Just give me a media-free route to my car. I've never been a fan of hospitals." He rustled around in his pockets and pulled out his phone. It was terribly cracked (probably from avoiding the explosive) but amazingly enough, it still worked.

Rukia looked at him like he was crazy and was about to say something, but Ichigo held up his hand to stop her. "There's no point in arguing. I'll take him to our clinic and get him fixed there."

While Grimmjow was talking on the phone, Rukia lead the pair out as inconspicuously as possible.

The sky was lit up with stars as the sun was well and truly beyond the horizon. The Seretei Festival should've been in full swing at this point and had it been uninterrupted, they would've all been sitting in a wondrously lit theatre watching award after award be given out. The only lights theey saw now were the flashes of cameras and bright set-ups of the film crews.

Ichigo looked at the crowd of people and was glad to see that no one had been hurt. The journalists were talking to various cameras and dragged the occasional witness into the shot. Rukia did very well at avoiding any cameras by taking them through the darkest route, away from the spotlights.

By the time the cerulean had finished his call, they were on the border of the car park. Rukia stopped, "And this is where I leave you. It'll look suspicious if I'm gone for too long."

Ichigo smiled, "Thanks for your help."

She nodded and her eyes seemed to glaze over, "look out for each other, ok?" And with that, she turned and walked away.

From there, Grimmjow lead the way back to where he'd parked the car and when he came upon it, he grinned. "Glad you could make it."

Ichigo looked up to see who he was talking to and saw the chauffer he'd seen in the past leaning against the car. The chauffer stood up straight and out of nowhere, took of his black visor to reveal-

Ichigo's eyes widened dramatically. "_Ilfort?"_

The blonde man smirked. "Hey, Ichigo. In trouble again, I see. Looks like Grimmjow's had his work cut out for him."

"Shut up, Ilfort." Grimmjow opened the passenger side door. "I'm not in the mood for your antics right now."

"Yes, sir." Ilfort put the visor back on and was about move around to the driver's side when Ichigo grabbed his arm.

"Why didn't you tell me you worked for Grimmjow?"

"Ah, well at the time I found you in Ulquiorra's trunk, my main priority was your health and safety. Besides, it's not my fault that you're so ignorant of your surroundings." He chuckled.

Ichigo frowned although what he said was indeed true. He shuffled in after Grimmjow and the car sped off. "Take us to the Kurosaki Clinic, please."

Ilfort nodded. "Whatever you say, kid."

Grimmjow leant back against the chair and chuckled to himself. "Well, that was fun. We should go to award shows more often."

"No, I think that was my first and last award show. But at least now I don't have to worry about Ulquiorra anymore..." Ichigo bit his lip as he pondered to himself.

Grimmjow noticed his troubled expression, "Oi, something bothering you?"

Ichigo looked at the bodyguard. "Yes, actually. I would never have guessed that Inoue had feelings like that for me. I wonder how long she's felt like that."

The cerulean shrugged. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say a decent couple of years. You seem to have this amazing ability to miss things that are right under your nose."

"What the hell does that mean?" The redhead rounded on him.

"It means this-" Grimmjow turned and pulled Ichigo into a strong kiss. He was unrelenting as his lips moved with Ichigo's, all his feelings for the redhead gathered in one passionate kiss. Orihime had failed in understanding that when it comes to Ichigo, being direct is by far the best and by god was the cerulean good at it. Grimmjow's hand lingered on Ichigo's shoulder as he pulled back and looked into his hazel brown eyes. Even in the dark of the car he could see a light blush sweep across the redhead's cheeks.

Maybe it was because Ichigo was feeling a sudden rush from their kiss or the day's activities had caught up with him and left him feeling a bit exhausted, maybe even both, but his mouth moved before his brain even registered what he was saying. "Why... Why do you like me so much?"

Grimmjow sighed. "I'm not sure if I have a straight forward answer for that, but explaining it will be a lot easier when I tell you about the first time I saw you when..." Without warning, the cerulean suddenly slumped forwards onto Ichigo.

"Woah, Ichigo, what's happening back there?" Ilfort spoke up with concern.

Ichigo lowered Grimmjow's body so that he was lying across his lap. He checked for his pulse and sighed with relief when it was still pumping away. "He's just passed out. His blood pressure must've gotten too low."

"Ah." The blonde remarked, a little too calmly. "Now might be a good time to ignore the speed limit."

"Go ahead." Ichigo couldn't help but frown at the cerulean's timing. Now he would have to wait until his bodyguard was conscious again to finally be able to hear about Grimmjow's past and their previous connection.

The white car zoomed through the streets as Ilfort slammed his foot down on the accelerator, heading as quickly as possible to the Kurosaki Clinic.

* * *

_Guh_, Grimmjow! Why did you have to go and pass out on us? What? He's terribly hurt, you say? Well, I _guess_ he deserves some peace and quiet for a while then... *grumble*

Woah 'All For the Money, Honey' has hit double digits, the big 1-0! _PAR-TAY!_ Thanks for all the support so far that hopefully still continues into the future. And gee guys, sorry if the Ulquiorra x Orihime scene sounded a bit too corny or forced. When I was originally planning this story, I was A-OK with them as a pairing, but after writing up an idea for another fanfic (involving Grimmjow x Ulquiorra), I kinda lost my like for them as a couple. Sorry UlquiHime fans out there!

But I digress, I've been labouring over the next chapter for AGES now and I've changed it many many a time. It's a flashbacker folks so be ready for some emotional awesomeness!

Comments and reviews will be used to pull Grimmjow back into consciousness ASAP!


	11. Priceless Memories Part 1

**-All For the Money, Honey: [Chapter 11: Priceless Memories: Part 1]-**

**Pairing: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques x Ichigo Kurosaki**

**Rating: M**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (Mr. Kubo is their godly creator)**

* * *

Grimmjow gradually opened his eyes and as the pain slowly came back to him, he groaned loudly. Ichigo appeared over him and the cerulean began to speak, his voice rasping slightly, "Where am I?"

"At my father's clinic. You passed out in the car from blood loss and you've been out for just over a day."

Grimmjow's eyes focused on Ichigo standing at the foot of what looked to be basic hospital bed. He didn't think there would be enough room to fit one, but he supposed that even a small clinic would need a bed in case of emergencies. He slowly sat up and pulled the sheets off of himself. As a dulled ache on his side suddenly made itself apparent, he noticed the thick bandages wrapped around his upper chest. "Your dad did this?"

Ichigo nodded, "Yeah, I watched him remove the debris from your wounds," His face darkened suddenly, "... there was a lot."

There was a heavy silence as the cerulean was unsure how to respond. To Grimmjow, this injury was nothing to overly worry about, but it looked like Ichigo was taking it a little harder. Grimmjow smirked despite himself, "Did I break anything?"

"Barely. You've got a small hairline fracture on the side of your 6th rib." Ichigo indicated to the left side of his own ribcage, about halfway down to show where the fracture was. "Even though it's small, it'll take a good few weeks for it to heal."

Grimmjow grimaced. "Fuck that." He licked his lips as hunger was beginning to gnaw at his stomach. "Is there anything I can eat?"

After Ichigo fetched a plate of leftovers from the fridge (Grimmjow didn't strike him as a fussy eater), the redhead pulled up a nearby chair to the side of the bed and silently watched the cerulean eagerly tuck into the food before him.

While Grimmjow had been unconscious, he'd had time enough to think about their brief conversation in the car. Ichigo had initially felt slightly apprehensive about hearing the cerulean talk about his past. If the incident at the awards festival had taught him anything, it was that Grimmjow was hiding something, something that almost definitely involved Ichigo. It was possible that he was only hiding their connection in the past, but Ulquiorra's suspicious goading made him think otherwise. The redhead had a moment where he thought that it would be much safer for both himself and his family if he didn't get involved any more than he needed to.

But later when Ichigo was watching Isshin clean Grimmjow's wounds, any uncertainties he had just disappeared. As his father removed Grimmjow's jacket and shirt, Ichigo's eyes came upon an old, harsh looking scar that ran down from his chest to abdomen. Having seen his fair share of scarred tissue in the clinic, he could quickly tell that no proper medical treatment had been given and the thought of having to bear with such a painful wound made his breath catch in his throat. He wanted to know more about Grimmjow, about that scar, about his past. Ichigo had never been one to turn away from a problem and he wasn't going to start now.

Grimmjow took the last bite of his meal and set the plate aside. "Whatever you want to say, just say it."

"Huh?"

"You've yet to take your eyes off me and you're frowning is more intense than usual," Grimmjow smiled knowingly.

Ichigo couldn't help but flick his eyes down to the cerulean's chest, his scar protruding out from the top of the bandages. "... I want to hear about how you knew me in the past. You began to say something on the way over here but you didn't get very far." Ichigo smirked.

Grimmjow frowned sheepishly, "I can't believe I passed out so easily..." His eyes slowly scanned the room, "Where's Ilfort?"

"He's long gone. He said to call when you're ready." Sensing that Grimmjow might be a bit reluctant to spill very personal information, Ichigo added, "Also Yuzu and Karin have gone to school and dad's visiting the Karakura hospital, so it's just you and me."

"I'm not worried about being interrupted. Ilfort knows about as much as you do and if he was here I'd probably let him listen in too." Grimmjow's mouth stretched into a devious smile, "Though I quite like the idea that there's no one to disturb us."

Ichigo scowled at him, mostly for his suggestive comment, but also because he could see that the cerulean was stalling. "You're forgetting that you have a fractured rib."

"Like hell I could. Now that I'm awake, I'm sore all over. Though despite that I can tell your dad did a good job." Grimmjow ran a hand lightly over the bandages. He fell silent for a moment before continuing. "A lot of people would love to have a capable father like him."

This perked the redhead's interest. "... People like you?"

"Nah, my parents weren't _bad_ people per se, they were just the wrong people to raise someone like me. I didn't care to remember much about them, but what I do remember is that they couldn't give a fuck about what I did as long as they weren't involved and I still attended school."

Ichigo tried to imagine a younger, smaller Grimmjow in a school uniform. He couldn't do it no matter how hard he tried.

"I did my best to avoid them and thus ended up spending a lot of time on the streets. Even though I was only a kid I managed to end up in all sorts of trouble, but I quickly found enjoyment in hurting those who tried to get in my way." Grimmjow chuckled darkly. Even now, he still felt no remorse for his violent behaviour.

Ichigo didn't agree with Grimmjow's attitude, but said nothing and let him continue.

"I was about twelve years old and practically a rogue when one day I ended up in the local karate dojo where I would later meet a small orange haired boy who'd start crying when he lost a match."

Grimmjow grinned and Ichigo's eyes widened. "The _dojo!_ But... I'm sure I would've remembered if there was a student with a hair colour as bizarre as yours."

Grimmjow shook his head, "I wasn't a student. The dojo owner let me hang around because I guess he thought it was better for me to be there instead of in the streets." The side of his mouth stretched into a lopsided smile as the memories flooded through his mind. "It was storming really heavily and I had nowhere to escape from the rain, so when I came upon an open back door, I ran in without a second thought..."

_-[Ten Years Ago...]-_

Water trickled down off of Grimmjow's clothes and onto the floor in slowly growing puddles. He struggled to fight back a shiver as his soaking clothes clung to his skin. "Fucking rain," he cursed under his breath, his voice yet to deepen with puberty but still laced with the same menacing tone.

Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair and more water dripped to the ground. The contours of his face were softer and his hair was unruly and long enough to just come over his eyes. However, living so vicariously had made him mature a lot faster and he acted more like an older teenager would despite still having the physical appearance of a kid.

As feeling started to come back to the tips of his fingers and nose, he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Grimmjow quickly turned his head around to see a tall man wearing a trainer's uniform. It was then that he realised he'd stepped into the back of the local karate dojo. The young cerulean clenched his fists. If the trainer tried to kick him out, he wasn't sure how well he'd be able to put up a fight.

The older man smiled to himself. "You should come further inside before you catch a cold. But I'm telling you now; if you try and nick anything I'll give you a right beating."

Grimmjow smirked back, "as if there's anything here worth stealing."

Having dealt with his fair share of unruly brats, the trainer silently responded with a half-hearted shrug. The kid cautiously followed him into the dojo, his curiosity overcoming him as his eyes scanned the room. He stood in the corner and watched as at least two different classes were practicing drills. Grimmjow had earned all his fighting experience the hard way and had never needed to go to a dojo so it was interesting to see how regular children learnt to defend themselves. It was a lot tamer than he'd expected.

The trainer nudged Grimmjow on the shoulder with a towel he'd picked up. "Dry yourself with this." He followed the cerulean's line of vision and smiled, "do you want to join in?"

"No." Grimmjow frowned as he dried his hair, "I'm not very good at playing with others."

The older man rolled his eyes. "Well you can stay here as long as you don't interfere with anyone." With that, he returned to his students but kept an eye on the cerulean boy.

Grimmjow settled himself down in the corner amongst the equipment, leaning against a pile of safety mats. There he could remain mostly out of sight from the other students but still had a perfect view to watch their lessons. As he watched them kick and punch in their neat, white uniforms, he quickly became aware of how big the gap between them was. Not just in social standing or fighting ability, but an emotional gap. The students looked like they were having fun, but not the same kind of fun that Grimmjow had when his opponents fell before him. He saw students the same age as him but they were so much more naive than he was, almost untouched by the horrors the world had to offer.

He smiled to himself and closed his eyes. This dojo was the perfect place to hang out without the worry of the shit in his life interrupting him from a peaceful afternoon doze. The sound of rain against the roof lulled Grimmjow into the deepest sleep he'd had in a long time.

But deep sleep or not, the second the rain stopped, Grimmjow's eyes shot open and the trainer watched as he disappeared out the back door.

After that stormy day, Grimmjow continued to visit the dojo on a weekly basis. He would always sit in the same spot, comfortably hidden behind all the equipment. One week however, the trainer interrupted his light slumber. "Hey, kid. I need those safety mats for today's lesson. Could I get you to drag them out into the middle of the floor?" But before the cerulean could respond, he walked off.

Since Grimmjow didn't have anything better to do, he did as the trainer asked and pulled the pile of mats out into the middle of the dojo's floor. They were a little bit heavier than he would've thought, but there was no way that he was going to show the trainer that. As he let go of the mats, he became aware that a couple dozen eyes were staring at him, belonging to a bunch of kids probably about seven or eight year old. The hairs at the back of his neck stood up with the discomfort of being watched so intently.

Grimmjow scowled and turned to slink back to the equipment corner. As he passed, all the children slowly went back to doing whatever the hell they were doing before, all except one redhead kid whose gaze followed the cerulean all the way back to the corner.

Well, two could play that game. Grimmjow leant against the wall rather than hiding behind the equipment and stared right back at the redhead. The kid was small and so innocent looking with his wide brown eyes that seemed to hesitate when he was stared back at, but to Grimmjow's surprise, he didn't yield and look away. Their gaze was locked for just over a minute but was broken when the trainer stepped out in front to start their class and the redhead scampered off like the obedient little child he was.

For the rest of the afternoon, Grimmjow watched the redhead kid with curiosity. It was the first time that he had ever seen someone so bad at fighting. Sometimes, it was almost too funny to watch. He'd thought that maybe this kid was a little tough, since he stood up to Grimmjow's glaring, but watching him spar with a crazy, little short-haired girl, it was quickly apparent that he was nothing more than a weak cry-baby.

Some of the other students would snigger quietly every time the redhead started crying when he was beaten, and why shouldn't they? Watching his latest tearful defeat, Grimmjow was trying to muffle a smirk when the front door of the dojo swung open.

A long haired woman walked in, probably a mother of one of the students and she was _beautiful_. The cerulean watched her with a slight sense of awe as she sat down on one of the chairs beside the door.

The redhead noticed her arrival as well and Grimmjow's eyes widened considerably when the kid's tear-streaked face broke out into a wide smile. Grimmjow thought, what the heck was with this kid? What kind of boy grins when he looses? And the smile was directed right at the woman. It clicked who she was to him and the cerulean smirked for a different reason. This kid was way too innocent to be true.

The trainer clapped his hands together, signifying the end of the class and the redhead rushed over to his mother, the big grin never leaving his face.

Grimmjow watched the pair with curiosity. He'd never seen such a sweet closeness between mother and child before. It was a strange sense of curiosity because despite the fact that the cerulean honestly couldn't give a shit about his own mother, he was far too content with how messed up he'd turned out to be to really hate the bitch. But seeing the way the redhead kid and his mom acted around each other was fascinating in itself, like seeing the very last of a species.

A clock high up on the wall chimed loudly. It was five o'clock, about the time for all the other parents to appear. The kids all started to run around and wait eagerly with their friends for their parents to pick them up.

Grimmjow though it was about time he left too. Tonight he had to meet up with some shithead gang who had been trying to recruit him recently but since it was obvious that the cerulean had no intention of joining them, they were slowly turning towards more violent means. It had been ages since Grimmjow had had a chance to let loose so boy, was he excited.

Just as he was about to leave, a voice called from the other side of the room, "Bye!" Grimmjow turned and saw the redhead kid waving. He paused when he realised that the kid was waving at him! "Bye!" He called again, a smile stretched right across his face.

And Grimmjow just stood there, absolutely dumbfounded. He didn't know how to respond or how to feel about this. All he knew was that he didn't exactly _hate_ it per se, but he was far from being able to understand if he liked it. He watched the redhead and his mother leave, the kid once again engrossed with her presence.

The cerulean mumbled under his breath, "... See ya."

As if that fateful encounter had started a chain reaction, every time the redhead kid saw Grimmjow, they would always say hello and goodbye to each other. Grimmjow always expected him to try and talk to him more, but maybe the kid understood that just acknowledging his existence was enough.

Before Grimmjow knew it, he was only hanging around at the dojo when he knew that the redhead was there and would end up watch him almost the entire time. The kid was slowly improving his fighting ability and eventually, one day, he managed to beat the crazy black-haired girl and when he did, he turned to where the cerulean was sitting against the wall and smiled so proudly. At first he didn't respond, but the redhead continued to smile at him every time he won and before Grimmjow realised it, he found himself smiling back.

While Ichigo was making small improvements, out on the shadier sides of town, Grimmjow was quickly becoming infamous. After having kicked the crap out of that shithead gang, everyone was catching on about the blue-haired kid with a destructive streak. All kinds of scum crawled out of the woodwork to have a go at him, but in the end served as nothing more than Grimmjow's playthings.

As his infamy continued to grow, it didn't take long for him to notice that he was being followed. This new realisation spawned an unconscious protectiveness in the cerulean. He didn't want those bastards to know about his frequent visits to the dojo. Not just because the redhead kid was there, but because he'd never forgive himself if the assholes did something to the place.

Grimmjow took extra precautions to ensure that he wouldn't be followed. He stopped fighting recklessly and avoided areas which he wasn't familiar with. His senses improved tenfold and he learnt how to disappear out of sight.

One night, there was another huge storm. Grimmjow entered the back of the dojo and shook himself, droplets of water flicking everywhere. "I fucking hate rain," he growled. He hadn't been in a storm this bad since the first time he found himself at the dojo's back door just over a year ago. He dragged his hand up over his face and through his soaked hair. He'd changed a lot since that time; he'd had a growth spurt which added a good dozen centimetres to his height and his voice was on the cusp of deepening; his face was starting to mould into the shape it would become in his adult years.

The trainer threw a towel at him as he walked into the dojo room and sat in his usual spot against the wall.

The redhead kid bounded over, his face all smiles as per usual, "Hello!"

Grimmjow didn't hesitate to grin back, "Hey there."

The class started right on time and today the kid was fighting the crazy black-haired girl again. When he lost, he pouted his lip and his eyes started to tear, but that was all. The kid was finally learning not to cry. A loud clap of thunder sounded overhead and a few of the younger students glanced around fearfully, but not the redhead kid.

The storm was just as ferocious when the class ended, the parents all shuffling in with dripping umbrellas and upturned coat collars. The redhead's mother sat down in the chair beside the door as always and gave her umbrella a brisk shake. Even with her hair messy from the wind, she was still beautiful.

The redhead waved and smiled as his mother tried to wrestle a rain coat onto him, "Bye!"

"Bye!" Grimmjow called loudly across the room, fighting over the noise of the storm. One word to the kid was all it took to push away the cold feeling from the rain and he still didn't fully understand why, but frankly, he didn't care.

But if he'd known that this was the last time he'd ever get to spend with the redhead kid at the dojo, maybe he would've said a little more.

* * *

D'awww little Ichigo is so cute! You have no idea how many times I had to flick through volume 2 of the manga to make sure that the little details are correct.

I was initially going to have this as one chapter, but I was about a quarter of the way in when I realised that I had so much to write that it would easily fit into two chapters. This chapter was one pretty much big prelude to part 2, but it still very relevant for their growth as characters. The next chapter though is going to be_ awesome._

Gah, uni has made me so darn busy and I neglected one of my assignments big time to write this chapter. I got it done in the end, but only a few days before it was due! This website will be the death of my GPA! (grade point average). Though the next few weeks are going to be fuuuun! My birthday is a week from now and the week after that, I'm going to Taiwan for about 6 days. It'll be the first time I've left the country in _ages_.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Comments and reviews will be used to posses my hands and help me finish the next chapter faster.


	12. Priceless Memories Part 2

**-All For the Money, Honey: [Chapter 12: Priceless Memories: Part 2]-**

**Pairing: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques x Ichigo Kurosaki**

**Rating: M**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters**

* * *

All of a sudden, the redhead wasn't there. When he missed one lesson, Grimmjow didn't think too much about it. Kids get sick all the time. But when he didn't show the following week either, the cerulean couldn't help but be suspicious.

But before he started getting needlessly worried, he needed to talk to the dojo trainer. After the class had ended and all the children and their parents had left, Grimmjow stayed behind and waited outside the man's office.

When the trainer saw him waiting patiently outside his office door, he couldn't help but be a little surprised. They barely ever said a word to each other and this was the first time that the cerulean had ever sought him out. He still didn't even know the kid's name. "Alright, come in," he called.

Grimmjow stepped into the office and went straight to the point. "Do you know why that red-haired kid hasn't been coming to classes?"

"A redhead kid? You mean Ichigo?"

He shrugged, "I don't know his name. He's the little guy in your junior classes, with the mother who's always early. Why hasn't he been showing up?"

The trainer nodded, "Yes, that's Ichigo. He... His mother..." His words faded out and he looked at the cerulean with a pained expression on his face. He'd seen them greeting each other for the past months and since Ichigo seemed to be the only one that the kid had bothered to interact with, he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell him the news.

Whether he wanted to or not, Grimmjow's acute senses had instantaneously picked up that something was wrong. "What the hell happened?"

The dojo trainer spoke slowly, "On the night of the big storm, Ichigo's mother was... Hit by a car. Near the river."

An icy chill ran down Grimmjow's body. His mind went blank. _No... No..._

"The bastard went though a red light and the weather was so bad... I hear that she pushed Ichigo forwards to protect him but some part of the car... She was knocked clean off the road. She died instantly..."

"I-Ichigo!" Grimmjow exclaimed suddenly, "What about Ichigo!" The name felt strange on his tongue. He'd only ever known him as that redhead kid.

"He wasn't harmed, but... He saw what happened to his mother and was left with her until the medics arrived-"

Grimmjow exhaled shakily. He could only imagine, the redhead's innocent, brown eyes, staring in horror at his mother, his protector. Dead.

"- and since then he disappears for hours and doesn't get home until it gets dark.-"

The cerulean's head shot up, "What! Where does he go?"

"We don't know, I keep an eye out around my area and I asked Tatsuki, the little girl he usually spars with, and she could say was that she's seen him wandering around after school." Grimmjow was glad to see that he looked just as worried as he was.

Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair. He knew better than anyone else what these streets could be like. The thought of Ichigo out there was too scary a thought. "Fuck this! Listen up, I know this place like the back of my hand. I'll go look for him before he ends up in more trouble." He turned on his heels and ran out of the office and through the back door.

"Wait!" The trainer called behind him, making Grimmjow slow and turn around, "Stay safe and don't do anything stupid!"

The cerulean grinned and bolted down the streets, disappearing around a corner.

The dojo trainer stood at the door for a moment. He stared off into the distance and bit his lip. He hoped with every fibre of his being that the cerulean kid would find Ichigo. Since his next class was starting soon, he turned and walked back inside, closing the back door behind him. If he'd only stayed at the back door for a minute longer, he would've seen seven teenage boys appear out of the shadows and run in the direction Grimmjow had gone.

Further ahead, Grimmjow was running as fast as he could towards the Karakura elementary school. School should've finished about ten minutes ago and if he got there fast enough, he might be able to narrow down his area of search, or at least ask someone which direction he was headed.

If anyone else had looked upon the scene, they would've wondered why the cerulean was so intensely worried about Ichigo's safety. For all they knew, he could just be walking around or sitting in a park all afternoon, he'd been doing it for the past two weeks after all. But Grimmjow wasn't overly worried about _what_ he was doing, no, he was more concerned about what was going through the kid's mind. Witnessing his mother's death would have scarred Ichigo deeply and Grimmjow wanted to do everything in his power to stop it from destroying the innocent, smiling little kid that he'd come to care for. He wanted to tell him that it was going to be okay.

Ichigo had become a tiny beacon of warm light in Grimmjow's otherwise corrupt world and the thought of that being tainted scared Grimmjow more than he ever had been in his entire life. His thoughts focused into a single chant in his mind; _please be okay, please be okay, please be okay..._

Grimmjow came out onto a main street and was about to turn to his right when he saw, far over on the other side of the road, a small kid with bright orange hair. His eyes widened, "Ichigo!"

But Ichigo didn't hear him. He kept on walking in what seemed to be the direction of the riverbank. He was heading to where his mother died.

The cerulean wanted to leap across the road, but it would be too dangerous even for him. So instead he followed Ichigo, keeping him in eyesight until he could find somewhere safer to cross.

While he wasn't paying much attention to anything other than the redhead kid, a couple of hands suddenly pulled Grimmjow from the street and into a small side alley. The cerulean snarled as Ichigo disappeared from his vision. "Fuck! Get off me!" He tried to pull his arm away and swung his fists at them.

"What's the hurry, Jeagerjaques?"

"_You_..." Grimmjow frowned. He knew this voice. He was the leader of a small gang that he had beaten the living shit out of a while back. They must've been the ones following him for the past few weeks. He chuckled darkly. "Come back for more, huh? I didn't realise you enjoyed getting your ass handed to you so much."

The gang leader frowned. "I don't think so. This time, we'll make you pay for what you did to us."

The grips on his arms tightened and the gang members sniggered under their breath. Grimmjow could still see scars from where he had inflicted severe damage upon them.

Grimmjow readied himself for a fight. He needed to get out of here fast and follow Ichigo again before he lost him. "I'm sorry assholes, but I have somewhere I need to be." He twisted violently and kicked one of the gang members in the chest with the heel of his foot, knocking him back and freeing Grimmjow's arm which the cerulean then swung and punched the other member in the face.

He didn't have time to stick around so he made a dash for the main street, but suddenly, something hard connected with the back of his head with enough force to turn his vision white. His legs betrayed him and he stumbled, giving the gang enough time to grab him again and drag him back down the street.

The cerulean watched the main street disappear from view and his mind was racing to overcome the blow to the head. He didn't have time for this. He needed to find Ichigo.

The gang dragged Grimmjow in through the back door of a restaurant. There was only one chef in there at the time and it was possible that this was the gang's usual hangout because when the chef saw the group of hooligans, he got out of there quick smart.

The gang leader sneered victoriously at Grimmjow. "We spent years building up our reputation in this area, but when you beat us down, all of it was ruined. We were the laughing stock of every other gang."

Grimmjow laughed, "Well of course you would be. Even though I'm a fierce opponent, you still got beat by a _young_ _teenager_."

The leader punched Grimmjow in the face.

The cerulean licked his now bleeding lip and struggled against his captors. He needed to make this quick. But no matter how hard he struggled, there were too many of them and their grips were too tight.

It was clear that the leader was enjoying this and he made a big show of it. He slowly walked around the kitchen, gazing around at the sharp objects, wondering what kind of pain he should inflict on his violent prisoner. At last, with a wide smirk, he picked up a large bread knife. It didn't sound menacing by any means, but the serrated blade would inflict just the right amount of pain.

"Hold him steady, guys!" The leader swung the blade around lazily in his hands, "Someone open his shirt."

Another gang member who wasn't gripping onto Grimmjow's arms came forwards and with his own small knife, cut open the cerulean's shirt. Grimmjow bared his teeth at the gang member, who cowered under his murderous glare.

"I think this will do just nicely, don't you Jeagerjaques?" The gang leader held the blade up in front of his face, making sure that he could see every edge of it.

Grimmjow thrashed around again, but without success. Another couple of hands held his arms tight, making it almost impossible for him to move. Grimmjow bit his lip. He shouldn't be here. He _can't _be here. He needed to find Ichigo.

The gang leader held the blade aloft and in one powerful swing, he cut across Grimmjow's shoulder and down to his navel.

Grimmjow clenched his jaw tightly but a harsh cry still managed to make its way out of him. It felt like his body was on fire, the pain overpowering his senses.

"Who thinks I can make another cut in the same place?"

A few of the gang members yelled in agreement and once again, the leader cut across Grimmjow's body.

Again. Grimmjow growled in pain, the feeling of the blade getting deeper and deeper.

Again. His breathing started getting erratic as he felt his own blood trickling down to jeans.

Again. He let out a wild howl, the sound of the blade cutting through his own flesh burnt into his ears.

The multitude of hands released him and Grimmjow fell back onto the floor, his energy deserting him through the trails of blood sliding to the floor. He didn't have time for this. Ichigo was more important right now.

Blood was starting to drip onto the tiled floor and the gang leader bit his lip. "We're making too much of a mess here. Someone fetch me a kettle."

Grimmjow's eyes widened and the leader smiled. "Don't worry, we're only trying to stop the bleeding." With a kettle in hand, he leaned over the fallen cerulean with that sick smile stretched across his face.

With all the energy he had, Grimmjow raised his arms up to shield his chest. It would do very little, but there was the off chance that it might just save his life.

The kettle began to tip and Grimmjow's only thought was of Ichigo. This was physical pain, nothing more. Even if this were to kill him, Ichigo would be wandering around, internally wounded. He couldn't die here. He needed to find Ichigo and tell him that everything was going to be okay.

The boiling water hit his collarbone first and his vision went white with the pain. The water was hot and cold and so searing that it felt like it had cleaved the cerulean clean in two. Grimmjow's arms fell to the floor as every sense was robbed from him as the hot water poured down over him. In that moment, he wished for death. He was nothing more than a shell of a human.

While he balanced vicariously on the edge of consciousness, somewhere far away from him, he heard laughter. It sounded a million miles underwater, but he couldn't mistake the sounds of the leader and his fucking gang _laughing_. Something sparked in the centre of Grimmjow's being, an emotion that was so strong and furious and bloodthirsty. He drew up an energy that he had never used before and dragging himself back out of the depths, he joined in on their laughter.

The laughter of the gang slowly quietened down as they heard a strange sound below them, rising up, getting louder and louder. They watched in pure horror as Grimmjow, still laughing, raised himself up from the floor...

Grimmjow opened his eyes and tried to sit up. A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder and he spun around.

"Calm down! I'm trying to help you." Grimmjow stared back at the man, probably in his early twenties with wavy brown hair and large glasses. The man smiled back at him. "You sustained some really bad injuries back there. Luckily I found you when I did."

"Where the hell am I?" The cerulean felt around and found himself on top of a kitchen bench. He looked down at his chest to see almost every inch of it covered in thick bandages. "I shouldn't be alive, I lost way too much blood."

"The fact that your wounds had been cauterised -albeit brutally- probably played a large part in saving your life. And for the rest of the blood loss, I called in a few favours." The older man patted a brown bag that had sat next to him. Out of the top of it were a few cords that looked like hospital tubes. They were stained with blood. "As to where you are, you're still in the restaurant kitchen. You were attacked by a gang and they dragged you in here. There was a huge mess and you nearly died."

Grimmjow brushed the man's hand away and slid down off the bench. "What happened to the gang?"

He pointed over to the other side of the room. "You killed them."

The cerulean's lip curled as he looked over the damage that he apparently caused. He could barely even make out their facial features. "The bastards deserved it."

The brown-haired man smiled. "What you did back there was very impressive. I've never seen such destruction like that before. It looks more like a wild animal attack than anything caused by human hands."

"Whatever. Thanks for the patch-up." Grimmjow pulled his ripped shirt back on and shoved his hands in his blood-stained pockets. "So what should we do about the bodies?"

The man, still smiling, waved a dismissing hand, "Oh, don't worry about them; I'll handle it. If there's anywhere you need to be, I can drive you there."

Grimmjow thought hard, but nothing came to mind. He was starting to feel a little hungry, so maybe it was time for him to go home and grab something to eat. "No, I'm fine. If I ever see you again, remind me to return the favour."

"We'll meet again, I can guarantee that." The man wearing glasses chuckled as Grimmjow stepped back out into the street.

The cerulean looked up at the sky and noticed some small rain clouds starting to spread over the area. He scowled, "I hope it doesn't fucking rain."

_-[... Present Day]-_

Grimmjow ran a hand over the scar across his chest and he could almost remember the feeling of the serrated blade. "After that, I became colder and I sought out fights wherever I could. Because of the trouble I caused, I had to move out of town and I stayed there for a number of years. I never went to the dojo again and I never thought of you again; not until I bumped into you in that cafe and on seeing such a strangely familiar face, I searched through my memories until I remembered that little redhead kid from the dojo."

Ichigo sat back in his chair and tried to process everything. After his mother had died, Ichigo didn't remember much that had happened beforehand, but now that he thought really hard bout it, he could recall the faintest memory where he was stared down by a scary-looking older kid that sat in the corner of the dojo.

What he definitely remembered was spending entire afternoons walking the streets and hanging around the riverbank near the road where she's been hit. It was shocking to think that Grimmjow had tried to reach him during that time and he had been nearly killed because of it.

Grimmjow watched the redhead slowly get through all the information that he'd just told him. "I never heard the full story, but what happened when your mother died? It's alright if you don't want to talk about it."

Ichigo smiled half-heartedly, "Its fine. I'd be a bit of an asshole if I didn't tell you about it after everything that you've told me."

It took him a moment, but Ichigo slowly started speaking, "The weather was horrible, just non-stop rain. We were walking across the road and I rushed ahead of her because I was eager to get home. All of a sudden she yelled my name and I felt her push me forwards and onto the ground. When I came to, she was already dead."

Grimmjow held his hand out on the edge of the bed and Ichigo curled his fingers around his. "After the accident I would wander around after school because I believed that it was my fault that she'd died. I did this for about two weeks before dad and my sisters found me and made me stop."

Ichigo frowned in thought, "You mentioned a man with brown hair and glasses. Did you ever find out who that was?"

"Yeah, he's my boss; Aizen. True to his word, a few years later he found me again and recruited me as bodyguard. Back then, the term 'bodyguard' was very loosely used and I did a lot of odd jobs." Grimmjow neglected to mention that a lot of those 'odd jobs' involved making people disappear. "Aizen stopped wearing glasses when he stopped trying to pretend that he was a nice guy."

"I just can't believe that all that happened those ten years ago. That one single event determined so much about your life."

Grimmjow grinned, "It happened alright. I have the scar to prove it." His grip on Ichigo's hand tightened, "You wanted to know why I like you so much? I like you because you're strong and feisty and since I remember you being such a soft kid, it's great to see how far you've come. I didn't realise it until just now, but you were probably the first thing I ever had that resembled a crush."

Ichigo's face suddenly turned bright red at such a warm confession. He looked away from Grimmjow's gaze out of embarrassment. "I'm not really sure how to respond to that..."

"This usually works," Grimmjow pulled Ichigo's hand forwards and used his other hand to grab him by the shoulder.

Surprisingly, the redhead took the initiative and closed those last few centimetres and connecting their lips together. The kiss was strong and passionate, their mouths moving together and confirming the feelings that they had for one another.

Grimmjow released Ichigo's shoulder and ran his hand down his back, pulling him in closer. Ichigo responded by dragging his hands through the cerulean's thick hair and deepening the kiss. They were soon fighting for air, unwilling to let go of the strong grip they had on each other.

The cerulean nibbled at the underside of Ichigo's jaw line and dug his hand under Ichigo's shirt to feel the small of his back. The redhead inhaled sharply making Grimmjow grin. Ichigo pulled his face back up and their lips joined again, the redhead using his tongue to playfully tease his bodyguard.

Grimmjow decided right there and then that fuck his fractured rib, he was going to have his way with Ichigo right now even if it killed him. He was about to swiftly tug Ichigo up onto his bed but he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps at the front door and the jiggling of the doorknob.

He groaned and pulled away, "Sounds like your dad's back from Karakura Hospital. Damn."

Ichigo sighed; he'd heard the door too. He would've liked some more time alone with Grimmjow. Ever since his bodyguard has thrust himself into his life, he had never been 100% sure if he was actually trustworthy. On top of that, he showed sudden strong feelings for him that he just couldn't explain, but hearing about Grimmjow's past, Ichigo could finally understand where the cerulean was coming from. The redhead could finally trust his own feelings for Grimmjow.

"Keep making disappointed faces like that and I_ will_ attack you, even if your dad is here."

Ichigo frowned, "Try it and you'll find yourself with another fractured rib."

Grimmjow laughed and released his hold on the redhead.

"I better go tell him that you're awake." Ichigo stood up and made his way out the clinic door.

Grimmjow continued to smile as he watched him leave. It was amazing the think that the Ichigo he knew now was the same kid he'd known those ten years ago. He'd liked the Ichigo back then, but this one before him now, this Ichigo was much more interesting.

Now all he needed to concentrate on was healing that rib as fast as possible.

* * *

Oh Grimmjow, your priorities are as skewed as ever.

Barely any little Ichigo in this chapter, but in it's place there's some sweet GrimmIchi-ness! (fair trade, yes?) Now that their feelings are on full display, where are they going to go from here?

Well folks, that's part 2 of Grimmjow's back story. Yesterday I had written maybe two sentences and all of a sudden, it was written and I had no idea how I'd managed it. Must've been the dozen or so oreos I'd consumed beforehand. Oreos = super writing powers. (But probably not.) Sillyness aside, I really enjoyed writing this and maybe it's because I've only got one exam left, but I'm really in the mood for writing so I'll see how long this trend lasts.

Also, the next 'The Kidnapping of Kurasaki Ichigo' chapter will be up soon.

Comments and reviews will be used to fix Grimmjow's injuries ASAP! It'll be a nice little surprise for Ichigo...


	13. Good As Gold

**-All For the Money, Honey: [Chapter 13: Good As Gold]-**

**Pairing: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques x Ichigo Kurosaki**

**Rating: M**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters**

* * *

In the warm afternoon light, Ichigo walked briskly up the driveway of the Kurosaki Clinic with his hands in the pockets of his school jacket. It had been two and a half weeks since that eventful night at the awards show and Ichigo was once again visiting Grimmjow, who was still confined to the clinic to make sure he wouldn't aggravate his rib fracture. Every couple of days, Ichigo would come back with a clean set of clothes for his bodyguard and a new story or two about students at school making a huge fuss about the explosions and the never-ending barrage of questions from teachers.

The moment Ichigo entered the clinic, Isshin came flying at him with an attempted kick to the face. "HELLO, ICHIGO!"

The redhead quickly dodged out of the way and elbowed his father in the chest, sending him crashing to the floor. Ichigo shook his head at his father's antics and when he noticed movement in the corner of his vision, he looked up to see Grimmjow standing before him with his hands on his waist, eyebrow raised. "I'll never understand your strange family interactions."

"You get used to it eventually," Ichigo sighed and hitched his bag up on his shoulder. He gave his bodyguard a once-over and saw that the cuts and bruises he'd sustained from Ulquiorra's attack had all healed, save from the rib fracture. It was still strange to see the cerulean dressed so casually, most of the time wearing jeans and basic t-shirts, but even in the laidback attire, Grimmjow was still a commanding figure.

Isshin pulled himself up off the floor. "My dear son, how come you stopped visiting all of a sudden? We haven't seen you over here for a while now."

Ichigo nodded understandingly. "I've been busy with weeks of overdue schoolwork and the teachers have been really strict with me ever since the awards show. They yelled at me for ages when they saw the news on television."

Grimmjow shrugged, clearly not caring. "You could bring the schoolwork over and do it here."

"No, he shouldn't. School should be his top priority at the moment," Isshin interjected.

Ichigo and Grimmjow shared a look. Since they had to explain Grimmjow's extensive injuries somehow, Ichigo told his father a skewed version of the events that occurred at the awards show that didn't mention their involvement with Ulquiorra. The redhead decided to steer the conversation away from the topic. He turned to his bodyguard, "How's your rib fracture?"

Grimmjow ran a hand up the side that had been fractured. "The heaps of meds I'm taking stop it from hurting most f the time, but I still can't do anything strenuous in case I screw up the healing process. I should be out of here in a day or two." He looked at Isshin to confirm his statement.

Ichigo's father nodded, "I'll need to take another x-ray just to make sure, but yes, you'll be free to go in a couple of days."

"That's good. I'm sick of Ilfort following me everywhere I go." Ichigo grumbled.

Since Grimmjow wasn't able to fulfil his duties as the redhead's bodyguard, he'd set Ilfort on him with one objective; keep Ichigo safe. Since the blonde chauffer had rescued Ichigo from the boot of Ulquiorra's car, the two hit it off pretty easily and because Ilfort was house-sitting in Grimmjow's apartment, he could visit Ichigo regularly. The redhead didn't mind at first, but he quickly started losing his patience when Ilfort started following him _everywhere_. He'd randomly follow him in Grimmjow's car or appear out of nowhere during lunchtime and watch him from a distance. Ichigo had actually come over straight from school today just to avoid the guy. It was almost like Ilfort had nothing better to do than to bother the teenager incessantly.

Grimmjow smirked at Ichigo's frustration. "He's doing what I pay him to do; his job."

The redhead looked up at Grimmjow distrustfully. He could easily imagine his bodyguard specifically telling Ilfort not to let Ichigo out of his sights.

Isshin opened his mouth to speak, probably to agree with Grimmjow, when his phone rang loudly in his pocket. He held up a hand of apology and answered it, his face suddenly turning serious.

Ichigo watched with concern as his father frowned. When he'd hung up, the redhead asked, "Who was it?"

"There's been a minor car accident a few blocks away. Someone's going to get sent here in a couple of minutes."

"Do you need me to help you?" Ichigo offered.

"No, it's only a broken arm, maybe a slight head injury at worst. Nothing I can't handle." Isshin looked at the pair, "If you'll excuse me, I need to go prepare the clinic. Tell the girls where I am when they get home from school." And with that, he disappeared from their sight.

Grimmjow started walking towards the kitchen with Ichigo following beside him. "I have no idea how you managed to survive living here for so long. I've only been here for a couple of weeks and I'm already going mad."

Ichigo couldn't help but smile a little. Even though Grimmjow would sometimes complain about being forced to stay at the clinic while the fracture healed, he actually fell into the Kurosaki's pace quite easily. Ichigo's family had gotten used to having him around and were very accepting of this new bodyguard.

"So... Why are we in the kitch-_mmph_!" Ichigo's sentence was quickly hushed by Grimmjow's lips covering his own. When the cerulean pulled back just as fast, Ichigo glared at him, "what the hell was that for?!"

"Another reason I'm sick of this place is that we're _never_ alone together." Grimmjow grinned, very far from feeling any guilt for his actions, "your sisters aren't here and your father is busy with a patient; it's perfect timing if I do say so myself."

Ichigo frowned suspiciously. "... Please don't tell me you ordered Ilfort to hit someone with your car."

The cerulean chuckled, "No, that's going a bit too far. But if I had to hold out for another week, I'd probably consider it."

Ichigo rolled his eyes comically. It was indeed true that they hadn't had any alone time since Grimmjow had been brought to the clinic. He'd been too immersed in schoolwork to really think about it, but Ichigo did kind of miss it. After the cerulean had confessed about his past, the pair had reached a critical point in their relationship, but with the Kurosaki family being ever present, they were stuck at a stand-still until Grimmjow was healed enough to leave. Clearly the cerulean couldn't wait that long.

Grimmjow pulled Ichigo in close, their eyes locking together, "you have no idea how hard it's been to keep my hands to myself. Every time you visit I can't take my eyes off you."

"I noticed." A faint blush spread across Ichigo's cheeks, "It's really hard to concentrate on anything when you're staring at me so damn hungrily."

Grimmjow's restraint just snapped. He claimed Ichigo's mouth once again in a long, passionate kiss. Ichigo's school bag slid off his shoulder and onto the floor with a dull _flop_, very much forgotten. The redhead accepted the kiss readily and wound his arms around the cerulean's neck, savouring the taste of Grimmjow's lips against his own. Their mouths moved together in a flurry of kisses that left them quickly short of breath.

Ichigo's mouth wandered down and along the edge of Grimmjow's jaw line, his mouth brushing lightly over his skin until he reached his ear and tenderly swirled his tongue around his earlobe.

Grimmjow let out a low purr of a sound and swiftly pushed the redhead against the wall, his hands moving down Ichigo's legs and hiking them up to his waist. Ichigo let out a small '_ulp_' as he was raised off the ground. The cerulean thought he could hold him there, but his rib fracture quickly began to protest and he winced a little.

Ichigo noticed and muttered, "Don't strain yourself."

Grimmjow chuckled, his voice deep and breathy, "There's more ways than one to do this." He slowly lowered Ichigo back to the floor and grabbed Ichigo's ass, pulling it forwards so that their hips connected. He couldn't help but grin with satisfaction when Ichigo let out a loud groan.

The pair brought their lips back together again with Grimmjow's tongue pleading for entry into the redhead's mouth. Ichigo granted him access and was involuntarily getting more and more turned on by the combination of the cerulean dominating his mouth and firmly squeezing his ass. He was very quickly becoming less and less aware of his kitchen surroundings.

Grimmjow was starting to wonder if they had enough time to sprint up to the bedroom when he heard the merciless sound of the front door opening and the voices of two young girls alerting their father that they were home. He promptly pulled back and from the look on Ichigo's face, he'd heard his sisters' entry as well. The pair's eyes met with a look that could only be summarised as '_OH SHIT._'

After taking their shoes off at the door, Yuzu and Karin rounded the corner into the kitchen to find Ichigo leaning against the counter with a drink in hand and Grimmjow with his head in the fridge.

"Hey, Yuzu, Karin." Ichigo said, probably trying a little too hard to sound casual.

Karin greeted her brother in return, but Yuzu hurried on past the kitchen without saying a word to any of them. Ichigo watched her go and looked at Karin questioningly.

She shook her head lightly, "never mind her; bad day at school. Hey, Grimmjow!"

The cerulean emerged from the fridge with a beer in hand. Lord knows he needed it. "Hey, kid. Your dad's working on a patient at the moment. He shouldn't be too long."

Karin nodded, "Yeah, we saw the car getting towed away." She turned to her redhead brother, "are you going to stay for dinner?"

Ichigo shrugged, "Sure."

"Alright, I'll tell Yuzu." Karin then disappeared after her twin and Grimmjow swore that he saw a small grin spread across her face. Had she figured it out?

The moment the pair were alone again, Ichigo let out a heavy sigh. He noticed his bag still lying in the middle of the floor and quickly scooped it up. "That was close. Good thing they're always loud when they get home."

"Mm-hm," Grimmjow agreed with a large swig of his beer. It was at times like this when he was glad that he didn't have siblings. He couldn't even imagine what it'd be like to have younger brothers or sisters getting in his way. The cerulean silently toasted his sibling-free life and chugged down the rest of his drink.

After about half an hour, the girls came back down from their room, Yuzu still looking very unhappy. Grimmjow watched Ichigo's expression and wasn't surprised to see him look somewhat concerned.

Yuzu prepared herself to start cooking dinner and it quickly became clear that she was intentionally avoiding Ichigo. When the redhead figured this out, he glared at Karin, "This has nothing to do with school, does it?" He hissed under his breath.

Karin shrugged like she had nothing to do with it and tugged at Grimmjow's arm, "C'mon, let's let them talk it out."

Since it was none of Grimmjow's business, he let the kid lead him out of the kitchen and out into the hallway. She sat herself down on the stairs and the cerulean followed suit. The pair sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Karin spoke up, "... You like Ichi-nii, don't you."

Grimmjow looked at her with a raised eyebrow, not with surprise, but with curiosity at her bland reaction. He'd thought she would be just a little more emotionally invested in discovering their relationship, but all he got instead was less of a question and more of a confirming statement. "When did you figure it out?"

Karin crossed her arms, "Pretty quickly. I was a bit surprised at first, but Ichigo seems happy enough."

Since the kid was happy being frank, he cut straight to the point, "It doesn't bother you that I've basically turned your brother gay?"

The girl shook her head. "Nah, I don't think it's your fault. I mean, I always thought it was a bit fishy that Ichigo never got together with Inoue, the hottest girl in his class when she _clearly _liked him."

Grimmjow couldn't help but grin, "You knew about that too?"

Karin smiled back at him, "it was _so_ obvious."

The cerulean chuckled and tousled the kid's hair, making her fidget and frown. In some ways, Karin was a lot like Ichigo. She was quite a tough girl and was probably the most mature person in the family. Sure, he didn't like the idea of having siblings of his own, but Karin and Yuzu were alright in his book. He nodded his head in the direction of the kitchen, "so why does Yuzu look so upset? Doesn't she like the fact that her brother is going out with me?"

Karin's brow furrowed with thought, "... I don't know. I think she also figured out that there was something going on between you two and when she asked me about it today, I told her what I thought. I didn't think she'd get so troubled by it."

When Grimmjow had figured out his sexual preference, he paid little attention to people thinking that what he did was 'wrong', but the same could also be said for any other aspects of his life. If someone didn't like him, well that was their own fucking problem. But if Yuzu really didn't like that part of Ichigo, Grimmjow was actually curious to see how that would affect the redhead.

He leant back with a sigh, "We'll just have to see how it turns out."

Karin made a brief noise of agreement.

In the kitchen, Ichigo was busy trying to think of what to say to his sister. He walked up next to her while she was cutting up some vegetables and cleared his throat, "is there anything you want to tell me?"

"No," Yuzu pouted without taking her eyes off the food.

Ichigo put his hand out and leant over the bench so he could get a better look at her face, "Yuzu, if you're angry at me I'd like to know why so I can apologise for whatever it is I've done. Is it because I haven't come over to visit in a while?"

"No..."

Ichigo could hear her voice tremble slightly and pushed forwards, "I know I haven't been around recently because I've been busy with a couple of things, but that's all been sorted out now so I'll come and see you guys much more often, I promise-"

Yuzu suddenly smacked her knife down on the bench, "Don't make promises you can't keep!"

Ichigo was speechless. He'd never heard his sister yell like that before. Why was she so angry with him? "Yuzu..."

She turned to look at him with tears forming at the corners of her eyes, "ever since you won all that money, you've changed! I don't like the Ichi-nii that you've become!"

"How have I changed?"

"You moved out of home, you buy us nice things but you're never around anymore, all of a sudden you get a bodyguard and he... You..." Yuzu couldn't continue. She bit her lip and looked up expectantly at her brother who was slowly piecing it together.

"Wait, so this is about Grimmjow and me?" Ichigo tried not to show how utterly shocked he was that Yuzu (and almost certainly Karin) knew about his relationship with Grimmjow. "You think that it's because of _money_ that I'm like this?"

Yuzu gave a little nod and looked down at her feet.

With a heavy sigh, Ichigo ran a hand through his hair. He'd never expected to have to deal with this so early on, but he couldn't just brush the matter off. He bent down a little so that he was closer to her eye level, "Look, Yuzu, I can't deny that things haven't changed - suddenly receiving so much money would do that to anyone - but I'm still the same person. I had to move out of home because I was trying to protect you guys from all the publicity I was getting. How about I bring you around and show you where I live so you can visit whenever you want. Sound good?"

She nodded again, wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes.

The redhead bit his lip, "and Grimmjow, it's not because of money that I... Like him. I know that he probably looks really intimidating to you guys and to be honest his personality isn't very friendly either, but I trust him. He really is a professional bodyguard."

Yuzu put her hands out in front of her, suddenly quite abashed. "Oh no! I didn't mean to be disrespectful to Grimmjow-nii. He's very nice and very helpful. I hope he gets better soon, and then he's always welcome to come back here."

Ichigo stared at her, absolutely dumbfounded. Grimmjow -_nii_?! When the hell had she started calling him that?! "That's good," He managed to utter, "I'm glad we cleared that up."

While Ichigo was near eye-height, Yuzu wrapped her hands around her brother in a tight hug, "I'm sorry for getting so worried about you changing. No matter what, you'll always be my brother. Just please use your money wisely and don't forget to visit often."

"Sure," The redhead smiled and when she let go, he grabbed his bag and made his way out of the kitchen, only to find Grimmjow and Karin sitting on the stairs. He glared at them sternly. "Oi, you weren't listening in on that were you?"

Grimmjow shook his head, "nope, we can't hear you from here. We were just waiting until you two finished talking."

Ichigo clearly didn't believe them, but didn't bother to challenge it. "Yuzu and I sorted things out and once I cleared her doubts, she's not really that against..." He paused, glancing over at Karin, "um, do you know about..." Since Grimmjow was right next to him, he felt suddenly much more awkward than when he was talk to Yuzu.

Karin rolled her eyes, "_Yes_, I know. I'm sorry Ichi-nii, but it was really obvious."

Grimmjow tried to hide a smirk, but Ichigo saw it and frowned at him.

The young girl looked thoughtfully at the pair. When she first saw Grimmjow, she was honestly taken aback by the hulking cerulean-haired man, but it didn't take her long to see that his personality was surprisingly similar to her older brother's. (Watching Ichigo frown only seemed to confirm this.) With such conflicting personalities, she wondered how they even managed to get this far without killing each other. Their relationship was still, in many ways, strange to her, but she supposed that she'd just have to deal with it. With a shrug, she left the pair to go and help her twin with dinner and maybe apologise for winding her up so much.

Grimmjow watched her leave, still smirking. "That girl's going to make one fascinating teenager."

'Don't remind me," Ichigo grimaced. He suddenly turned to his bodyguard, "Did you know that Yuzu calls you Grimmjow-nii?"

"Yeah, so does Karin sometimes, though not as often as Yuzu." Grimmjow looked at the redhead and grinned at his shocked expression. "What, are you worried that you're getting replaced? Are you afraid that they like me more than you?" He teased.

"No," Ichigo frowned, "I'm just surprised that they warmed up to you so much. I know that they're fine with you being here, but I didn't realise that they were _that_ fond of you. Yuzu backed down a lot faster when I wrongly assumed that she didn't like you. Clearly they don't know how dangerous you are."

The cerulean leaned in with a lecherous grin, "and _you _better not forget it."

As Grimmjow's hand cunningly snaked around Ichigo's waist, the redhead raised a disapproving eyebrow, "you can't be serious."

Now that their secret relationship had been outed by the girls, Grimmjow felt no need whatsoever to hold back anymore. "I am. There's a perfectly good bedroom upstairs just waiting to be used to continue where we left off."

Ichigo's hand tightened on the strap of his school bag, his attention focused on the mischievous expression slowly spreading across his bodyguard's face. Oh, he looked quite serious indeed.

* * *

Oh no! What's Ichigo to do?! Will he resist Grimmjow's advances and play it safe or will he cave and go up to his bedroom where shenanigans will most definitely ensue?! D:

Wow, I seem to write Grimmjow as such a horndog in this fanfiction. Though it looks like he hasn't gotten any action for a while now so I suppose he's allowed to be a little more than frustrated by this point.

MAN, my studies have had me running knacked for a long time now but thank lord that it all ends for the year in a couple of weeks so after that point I should be able to get back into the writing scene. Essays really suck all the creativity out of me.

Anywho, thank you for the wait and I hope you enjoyed this latest update! :D

Comments and reviews will be used to keep Isshin busy in the clinic and the girls busy in the kitchen so they can't disturb anyone *wink wink*


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